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THE 


MEDICAL  MEN 


REVOLUTION 


WITH  A  BRIEF  HISTORY 


MEDICAL  DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  CONTINENTAL  ARMY. 


CONTAINING  THE 


NAMES  OF  NEARLY  TWELVE  HUNDRED  PHYSICIANS. 


ADDEESS 


BEFORE  THE 


ALUMNI  ASSOCIATION  OF  JEFFERSON  MEDICAL  COLLEGE, 


MAHCH    11,  1876. 


BY 

J.    M.    TOILER,  M.D., 

OF  WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
COLLINS,  PRINTER,  705  JAYNE    STREET. 

1876. 


Bksadiotl 


140 


SAMUEL  D.  GROSS,  M.D.,  LL.D.,  D.O.L.  OXON., 

PKESIDENT  OF  THE   ALUMNI  ASSOCIATION  OF  JEFFERSON  MEDICAL  COLLEGE  AND 
EX-PRESIDENT  OF  THE  AMERICAN  MEDICAL  ASSOCIATION. 


Pre-eminent  among  American  Surgeons,  not  only  by  a  long 
life  devoted  to  the  teaching  and  practice  of  surgery,  and  by 
steadfast  promotion  of  the  interests  of  the  legitimate  profession, 
and  the  production  of  a  systematic  surgical  treatise  everywhere 
accepted  as  authoritative,  but  also  by  his  original  experimental 
inquiries,  brilliant  operations,  profound  erudition,  and  varied 
and  valuable  contributions  on  almost  every  branch  of  medical 
literature,  which  have  gained  for  him  the  highest  admiration  of 
the  profession  in  every  land, 

THIS  ALUMNI  ADDRESS, 

MEMOKIAL  OF  THE  SURGEONS  OF  THE  REVOLUTION, 
IS  RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATED 


AUTHOR. 


MEDICAL  MEN  OF  THE  REVOLUTION. 


GENTLEMEN  OF  THE  ALUMNI  ASSOCIATION 

OF  JEFFERSON  MEDICAL'  COLLEGE. 

PROFESSORS  AND  FRIENDS  : — 

I  feel  honored  in  having  been  selected  by  you  to  address 
this  association,  but  I  am  also  deeply  sensible  of  the  respon- 
sibility of  the  position.  It  is,  indeed,  at  any  time  a  great 
privilege  for  an  old  student  to  be  permitted  to  speak  for  his 
brethren  and  his  alma  mater  ;  but  the  distinction  is  enhanced 
on  this  occasion  by  the  fact  that  we  are  on  the  eve  of  the 
grand  ceremonial  which  is  to  confer  the  doctorate  on  nearly 
two  hundred  new  members,  whose  names  will  to-morrow  be 
added  to  the  thousands  already  enrolled  among  her  children. 

The  College  of  Physicians  of  Philadelphia,  in  whose  con- 
venient hall  we  are  assembled,  gives  interest  to  the  meeting, 
as  it  is  one  of  the  oldest  medical  associations  of  our  country. 
From  its  organization,  nearly  a  hundred  years  ago,  to  the 
present,  it  has  steadily  endeavored  to  elevate  the  profession, 
and  has  been  governed  by  enlightened  principles  and  high 
and  honorable  ethics,  which  spirit  has  extended  far  beycfnd 
its  members  and  infused  itself  into  all  the  medical  societies 
throughout  our  broad  land. 

Contemporaneously  with  the  close  of  the  first  century  of 
our  national  existence  the  Jefferson  Medical  College  has  just 
entered  upon  the  second  semi-centennial  of  its  career.  Each 
in  its  particular  sphere  encountered  difficulties  of  no  ordinary 
character,  and  both  have  gloriously  triumphed  over  every 
obstacle,  and  are  now  standing  forth  as  conspicuous  and 
firmly  established  institutions,  presenting  noble  examples  of 
results  accomplished  by  talent,  energy,  and  probity  admira- 
bly adapted  to  the  wants  of  the  age.  It  is  no  less  fitting 


6  MEDICAL   MEN 

than  customary  that  in  public  discourses  during  this  cen- 
tennial year  the  American  mind  should,  from  every  possible 
standpoint  and  sphere  in  life,  retraverse  the  checkered  path- 
way that  stretches  over  the  one  hundred  years  just  past. 

In  this  connection  I  would  fain  make  an  effort  to  rescue 
from  that  oblivion  which  time  remorselessly  throws  over  all 
human  actions  the*  names  of  those  patriots  of  the  revolu- 
tionary period  belonging  to  our  profession  whose  biogra- 
phies have  not  yet  been  written,  in  order  to  preserve  and 
perpetuate  their  memory  and  their  noble  deeds.  Believing 
that  such  an  endeavor  will  be  preferred  by  you  to  the  string- 
ing together  of  sentences  of  praise  to  our  College,  and  eulo- 
gies of  the  Faculty  and  her  graduates,  I  will  consider  briefly, 
in  passing,  the  medical  profession  in  the  colonies  during  the 
struggle  for  American  Independence,  and  the  part  it  took 
in  that  memorable  drama.  That  period  in  our  history  was 
one  which  required  the  aid  of  every  citizen  who  had  the 
intelligence  to  appreciate  liberty  and  the  courage  to  oppose 
tyranny.  I  aim  not  to  eulogize — but  to  collect  material  and 
present  a  few  facts  from  which  history  may  be  written. 

From  a  review  of  the  various  actors  on  the  stage  of 
American  affairs,  it  appears  that,  when  the  principles  of 
free  government  were  being  evolved  and  matured,  no  class 
of  society  or  profession  seemed  to  have  deserved  higher 
praise  for  its  efforts  to  promote  this  result  than  that  of  the 
physician.  By  education,  and  by  constant  association  with 
all  classes,  the  medical  man  becomes  acquainted  with  every 
shade  of  opinion  and  every  requirement  of  his  day  and  coun- 
try. His  habit  of  analyzing  the  feelings,  views,  and  expres- 
sions of  the  people,  makes  him  their  confidant  and  the 
efficient  and  popular  counsellor  among  the  masses  on  all 
questions  of  common  interest. 

Historians  have  over  and  over  again  eulogized  the  states- 
man, the  orator,  the  soldier,  and  the  clergy  man,,  who  took 
part  in  these  efforts  for  independence,  but  the  services  of  the 
physician  and  surgeon  have  been  almost  entirely  overlooked, 
if  not  forgotten. 

To  speak  of  the  medical  organization  of  the  army,  and  of 
the  physicians  and  surgeons  of  the  revolution  and  their  ser- 


OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  7 

vices  to  their  country,  shall  be  my  task.  I  hope,  however, 
I  may  be  permitted  in  the  outset  to  express  not  only  a  con- 
sciousness of  my  inability  to  do  justice  to  the  theme,  but 
my  regret  that  I  have  not  had  at  my  disposal  greater  leisure, 
so  that  I  might  have  made  the  study  in  some  degree  satis- 
factory to  myself  and  more  worthy  of  the  subject  and  the 
occasion. 

The  medical  history  of  the  American  revolution  properly 
begins  with  the  first  casualties  caused  by  the  collision  of  the  " 
British  soldiers  with  the  colonists.1 

It  is,  however,  exceedingly  difficult,  even  at  this  day,  to 
mark  the  exact  period  or  dividing  line  where  petitions 

1  From  the  accession  of  George  the  Third  to  the  throne,  and  of  Grenville 
to  the  head  of  the  British  ministry  in  1761,  numerous  measures,  more  or 
less  aggressive  upon  the  chartered  and  constitutional  rights  of  the  colonists 
in  America,  were  introduced  into  Parliament  and  moulded  in  laws.  It  was 
in  this  year  that  James  Otis  made  his  famous  speech  in  a  court  of  Massa- 
chusetts in  opposition  to  the  "Writs  of  Assistance,"  a  cunning  device  of 
the  ministry  for  the  enforcement  of  its  offensive  legislation  ;  of  which  effort. 
Mr.  Adams  said,  "  It  breathed  into  the  nation  the  breath  of  life."  The 
demand,  on  the  part  of  the  American  colonies,  to  be  left  free  to  manage 
their  own  affairs,  was  the  outgrowth  and  spirit  of  a  system  of  education 
originating  in  the  new  world,  and  strengthened  by  a  habit  of  self-reliance. 
The  armed  struggle  for  independence,  however,  was  but  reluctantly  assumed 
by  them ;  indeed,  was  forced  upon  the  colonists  by  the  unwise  legislation  of  the 
mother  country.  The  year  following  the  one  mentioned  was  an  era  of  more 
than  ordinary  interest  to  the  colonists,  who  were  now  awakening  to  the 
serious  invasions  of  those  privileges  that  could  not  be  relinquished  without 
extreme  regret  and  self-humiliation.  The  Stamp  Act,  which  was  so  oppres- 
sive to  the  colonies,  and  which  thus  became  so  fruitful  an  occasion  of  discord, 
was  to  become  a  law  by  royal  decree  on  the  22d  of  March,  1765.  It  was  in 
opposition  to  this  measure  that  Col.  Barre\  in  Parliament,  made  a  most 
stirring  and  patriotic  speech,  in  which  he  referred  to  the  colonists  as  the 
"  Sons  of  Liberty,"  a  name  which  they  adopted  ;  and  the  idea  thus  expressed 
soon  became  the  popular  rallying  cry  throughout  America.  (See  Gordon's 
History  of  the  American  Revolution,  vol.  i.  p.  112.) 

This  enactment  and  other  similar  legislation  led  Patrick  Henry  to  move 
in  the  House  of  Burgesses  of  Virginia,  and  procure  the  passage  of  his  famous 
resolution  May  29,  1765,  asserting  the  rights  of  the  colonies  and  their 
determination  to  maintain  them.  Other  colonial  assemblies  and  conven- 
tions passed  like  resolutions  and  prepared  petitions  of  remonstrance,  which 
were  sent  to  the  king.  Massachusetts,  June  6, 1765,  passed  resolutions  pro- 
posing a  general  congress  of  all  the  colonies.  (Holmes's  Annals.) 


8  MEDICAL   MEN 

ceased  and  protest  began ;  where,  from  mere  words  of  dis- 
cussion, tumults  were  excited  and  the  colonists  came  into 
collision  with  the  troops  of  Great  Britain.1 

The  spirit  of  resistance  to  what  was  believed  to  be. a  vio- 
lation of  their  constitutional  rights  had  by  years  of  suffering 
acquired  boldness  in  all  the  Provinces.  This  is  shown  by 
the  numerous  resolutions  impugning  the  right  of  the  mother 
country  to  taxation,  by  resistance  to  the  importation  of 
articles  taxed,  and  by  the  destruction  of  tea,  which  was 
attempted  to  be  landed  at  various  points.2 

1  June  10, 1768,  the  sloop  Liberty  was  seized  in  Boston  harbor  for  violating 
the  revenue  laws,  and  placed  under  the  guns  of  the  frigate  Romney,  which 
caused  a  mob  to  collect  and  exhibit  some  violence  to  the  revenue  officers. 
In  the  city  of  Boston,  Feb.  22,  1770,  a  tumult  arose  between  some  youths 
and  an  informer,  in  which  a  young  man  was  severely  wounded  and  a  boy 
named  Christopher  Sinder  killed.     (Snow's  History  of  Boston,  p.  278.)    A 
state  of  ill  feeling  of  a  political  nature  had  grown  up  between  the  soldiers 
and  some  young  men  employed  in  John  Gray's  Rope  Walk,  which  led  to 
a  personal  encounter  on  the  3d  of  March,  1770.     Although  no  one  was 
killed,  it  served  to  intensify  a  hostile  feeling  which  extended  widely  through 
the  city.     (Drake's  History  of  Boston,  p.  778.)     The  occurrence  at  the 
rope-walk  prepared  the  way  for  the  outbreak  in  King  Street  on  the  fifth  of 
March,  usually  known  as  the  "  Boston  Massacre."      The  soldiers,  being 
insulted  and  pelted,  fired  on  the  taunting  crowd  in  self-defence  and  without 
orders.    Three  persons  were  instantly  killed,  Samuel  Gray,  Crispus  Attucks, 
and  James  Caldwell.     Sam'l  Maverick  was  mortally  wounded,  Christopher 
Monk,  Patrick  Carr,  John  Clark,  Edward  Payne,  John  Green,  Robt.  Pat- 
terson, and  David  Parker  were  wounded.     The  funeral  of  those  killed  took 
place  on  the  8th,  and  was  attended  by  an  immense  procession,  six  persons 
walking  abreast.    Bells  were  tolled,  stores  closed,  and  all  business  of  the 
city  suspended.     (Drake's  History  of  Boston,  p.  783.)     The  first  armed 
resistance  to  British  encroachment  in  the  colonies  was  in  North  Carolina, 
near  the  river  Allamance,  on  May  16,  1771.     The  citizens  of  the  State  had 
organized  a  force  under  the  name  of  the  "  Regulators."     Gov.  Wm.  Tryon 
(afterwards  Gov.  of  New  York)  commanded  the  royal  troops,  numbering 
eleven  hundred  men,  of  whom  he  lost  sixty  in  the  engagement.    The  "  Regu- 
lators" were  estimated  to  have  had  a  force  of  2000  men,  but  were  badly 
officered,  and  were  therefore  defeated  with  considerable  loss.     A  number  of 
the  prisoners  taken  were  cruelly  executed  as  traitors.   Although  temporarily 
submitting,  the  spirit  of  resistance  to  British  rule  was  aroused.    (  Wheeler's 
History  of  North  Carolina,  vol.  ii.  p.  18.) 

2  Witness  the  sending  back  of  vessels  in  November,  1773,  with  tea,  without 
breaking  cargo,  from  New  York,  Philadelphia,  and  Charleston,  S.  C.,  and 
still  more  by  the  destruction  of  tea  when  its  introduction  and  distribution 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  9 

The  excited  condition  of  the  public  opinion  at  that  time, 
as  is  well  known,  was  much  aggravated  by  military  and 
official  duplicity,  and  the  controversy  culminated  in  the  col- 
lision of  arms  at  Lexington  and  Concord.1 

The  news  of  the  march  of  the  British  troops  on  Concord 
was  conveyed  to  the  inhabitants  by  Dr.  Samuel  Prescott  of 
that  town,  who,  having  narrowly  escaped  being  taken 
prisoner,  gave  the  alarm.2 

About  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  19th  of  April, 
1775,  a  company  of  seventy  minute  men  belonging  to  Lex- 
could  not  otherwise  be  prevented.  The  destruction  of  tea  in  Boston  harbor 
by  throwing  the  cargo  from  the  vessels  Dartmouth,  Eleanor,  and  Beaver  by 
parties  disguised  as  Indians,  took  place  on  the  17th  December,  1773,  after 
persistent  efforts  had  been  made  to  send  the  vessels  back  to  England. 
(Gordon's  History  of  Revolution,  vol.  i.  p.  224.)  April  21,  1774,  tea  was 
thrown  overboard  from  the  ship  London,  by  an  Association  calling  them- 
selves "Mohawks,"  at  the  wharf  in  New  York.  (Amer.  Arch,,  vol.  i.  p. 
25'0.)  Oct.  14,  1774,  a  brig  named  the  "  Peggy  Stewart,"  loaded  with  tea, 
was  burned  in  the  harbor  of  Annapolis,  Md.,  the  torch  being  lighted  for  her 
destruction  by  the  owner.  (McSherry's  History  of  Maryland,  p.  174.)  At 
Yorktovvn,  Va..  tea  was  thrown  into  the  river  by  the  citizens  of  the  place, 
from  the  ship  Virginia,  Nov.  7,  1774,  in  open  daylight.  Nov.  22,  1774, 
the  cargo  of  tea  brought  in  the  brig  Grayhound,  and  lauded  and  stored  at 
Greenwich,  New  Jersey,  was  destroyed  by  a  band  of  forty  men  disguised  as 
Indians.  (/.  W.  Barber's  History  of  New  Jersey,  p.  145.)  Tea  was  also 
destroyed  in  the  harbor  of  Halifax,  Nova  Scotia,  Sept.  22,  1775;  here  the 
"  Liberty  Boys"  threw  two  tons  of  tea  into  the  water,  and  appeared  resolute 
adherents  of  the  Colonial  interests. 

1  This  battle  or  skirmish  of  the  19th  April,  1775,  can  hardly  be  claimed 
as  premeditated,  although  the  resolutions  of  the  people  were  nearly  unani- 
mous to  resist  at  all  hazards  further  encroachments  on  their  rights.     The 
yeomanry  and  militia  of  Massachusetts  had  collected  some  military  stores  at 
Concord  as  a  precautionary  measure,  at  the  suggestion  of  the  Prov.  Con- 
gress.    About  one  thousand  British  troops  were  secretly  sent  by  Gen.  Gage 
on  the  night  of  18th  April  to  capture  and  destroy  them.     But  by  the  vigil- 
ance of  Dr.  Warren  and  the  "  Sons  of  Liberty,"  warning  of  the  approach  of 
the  British  soldiers  was  communicated  to  the  inhabitants. 

2  Thus  we  see,  that  to  the  vigilance  and  sagacity  of  members  of  our  profes- 
sion was  due  whatever  preparation   the  Americans  had  made  to  defend 
themselves  and  their  property  against  the  trained  British  soldiery — to  Dr. 
Jos.  Warren,  for  obtaining  and  sending  information  of  the  expedition,  and 
to  Dr.  Samuel  Prescott,  for  his  courage  and  enterprise  in  escaping  capture 
and  conveying  it,  when  the  other  messengers  had  been  made  prisoners. 
(Frothingham's  Siege  of  Boston,  pp.  60-65.) 


10  MEDICAL   MEN 

ington  opposed  the  progress  of  Major  Pitcairn,  command- 
ing the  expedition,  who  called  out  in  an  insulting  man- 
ner— "Disperse,  you  rebels;  throw  down  your  arms  and 
disperse" — which  order  not  being  obeyed  with  the  alacrity 
which  he  desired,  he  directed  his  troops  to  fire.  The  result 
was,  the  Provincials  were  dispersed,  eight  being  killed,  and 
a  number  wounded.1 

The  engagement  at  North  Bridge  was  sharp  and  closely 
contested,  with  a  greater  number  of  casualties  on  the  part  of 
the  British  troops  than  at  Lexington. 

Dr.  John  Brooks,  afterwards  Governor  of  Massachusetts, 
was  a  practising  physician  in  Reading,  where  he  commanded 
a  company  of  militia,  which  he  promptly  assembled  and 
gallantly  led  against  the  enemy.2 

In  the  fight  at  Concord,  the  British  were  so  resolutely 
assailed,  that  they  were  obliged  to  commence  a  retreat  about 
twelve  o'clock  in  the  day.3 

The  militia  and  minute  companies  were  rapidly  increased 
in  number  by  new  arrivals, .and  the  retreat  having  once 
begun  the  British  were  pursued  and  attacked  at  every  avail- 
able point  of  the  route  through  Lexington  back  to  Bunker's 
Hill,  where  they  found  safety  under  the  guns  of  the  fleet.4 

The  heroism  displayed  by  the  Provincials  throughout  the 
day  was  admirable,  and  the  result  in  a  military  point  of 
view  highly  creditable.  The  killing  and  wounding  of 
friends  by  the  arms  of  the  parent  country  added  to  the 
keenness  of  the  grief  which  afflicted  the  whole  community. 
The  violent  death  of  forty-nine  neighbors  and  the  wounding 

1  The  eight  killed  were  Robert  Munro,  Jonas  Parker,  Samuel  Hadley, 
Jonathan  Harrington,  Caleb  Harrington,  Isaac  Muzzy,  and  John   Brown, 
of  Lexington,  and  Aziel  Porter,  of  Woburn.     (Holmes's  Annals,  vol.  ii.  p. 
205.) 

2  The  Americans  here  lost  two  killed  and  four  wounded ;  the  British,  four 
killed  and  thirteen  wounded.     About  a  dozen  of  the  wounded  were  attended 
by  Drs.  Timothy  Miuot  and  John  Gumming,  of  Concord. 

3  The  number  of  Americans  killed  at  Concord  was  five,  wounded  three. 
The  British  lost  fourteen  killed,  with  twenty  wounded  and  taken  prisoners. 

4  The  returns  from  the  best  accounts  are  that  the  Americans  had  49  killed, 
36  wounded,  and  5  missing  ;  the  British  73  killed,  174  wounded,  and  26  miss- 
ing.    (Holmes's  Annals,  vol.  i.  p.  526.) 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  11 

of  thirty-six  others  in  one  day  was  in  itself  a  great  shock 
to  the  feelings  of  a  people  rarely  disturbed  in  the  quiet  of 
their  rural  avocations. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  colony  had  no  regular 
military  establishment  of  trained  and  equipped  soldiers. 
The  militia  gathered  impulsively  to  defend  themselves  as 
best  they  could,  and  were,  therefore,  without  commissioned 
officers  to  take  command.  Having  determined  to  resist 
force  by  force,  and  to  do  their  best,  there  was  no  difficulty 
as  to  a  leader.  All  were  brave. 

History  records  the  names  of  nine  physicians  who  were 
in  the  engagements  or  rendered  medical  service  to  the 
wounded  on  the  19th  of  April,  namely :  Drs.  Wm.  Aspin- 
wall,  John  Brooks,  John  Gumming,  Wm.  Dexter,  Eliphalet 
Downer,  Timothy  Minot,  Samuel  Prescott,  Joseph  Warren, 
and  Thomas  Welch.  Dr.  Joseph  Warren  was  Prest.  of  the 
Prov.  Cong,  of  Mass.,  which  was  in  session  at  this  time,  and 
was  also  Chairman  of  the  Committee  of  Public  Safety.  By 
virtue  of  this  position  and  his  widely  recognized  ability,  he 
was  one  of  the  most  influential  of  the  patriots  who  shaped 
the  course  of  the  colony  during  the  early  days  of  the  struggle.1 

1  Dr.  Joseph  Warren  ought  first  to  be  named  on  all  occasions  when  patriots 
are  mentioned  in  connection  with  these  events.  He  had  sent  information 
to  Concord  and  the  neighborhood ;  and  followed  his  messenger  in  person. 
He  was  active  in  encouraging  the  militia  during  the  day,  and  had  an  ear- 
lock  shot  off  in  one  of  the  skirmishes,  but  was  not  wounded.  (Heath's 
Memoirs,  p.  14.) 

Dr.  John  Brooks,  of  Reading,  Mass.,  commanded  a  company  of  militia, 
rendering  valuable  service.  He  was  also  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  and 
served  with  distinction  as  a  general  throughout  the  war.  He  was  sub- 
sequently elevated  to  the  office  of  chief  magistrate  of  the  State.  His  life 
reflected  honor  not  only  upon  the  medical  profession  but  upon  the  whole 
nation. 

Dr.  William  Aspinwall  courageously  volunteered  and  fought  at  the  battle 
of  Lexington,  and  bore  off  the  lifeless  body  of  Isaac  Gardner,  commander 
of  the  Brookline  Company,  which  had  been  pierced  by  twelve  bullets.  Dr. 
Aspinwall  subsequently  married  the  daughter  of  this  officer.  He  was  a 
graduate  of  Harvard  University  in  1764.  Studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Benj. 
Gale,  of  Connecticut,  and  attended  lectures  at  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. At  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  on  the  recommendation  of  Dr. 
Joseph  Warren,  he  received  the  appointment  of  surgeon  in  Gen.  Heath's 


12  MEDICAL   MEN 

In  the  Prov.  Cong,  of  Mass,  in  1774-5,  there  were  23 
physicians  representing  various  districts  of  the  State,  many 

brigade.  The  doctor  succeeded,  after  the  death  of  Zabdiel  Boylston,  to 
the  chief  business  of  inoculation  for  the  smallpox  in  New  England.  He 
continued  this  business  in  a  private  hospital  up  to  the  introduction  of  vac- 
cination, a  practice  which  he  at  once  adopted  and  commended  to  general 
favor.  Died  in  1823.  ( Thacher's  Medical  Biography,  vol.  i.  p.  91.) 

Dr.  John  Gumming  was  of  Scotch  parentage  ;  had  served  as  a  lieutenant 
in  the  French  and  Indian  war  of  1755  ;  was  captured  and  for  a  time  held 
prisoner.  He  subsequently  became  eminent  as  a  physician  in  Concord, 
where  he  dressed  at  his  office  the  wounds  of  more  than  a  dozen  British  sol- 
diers wounded  at  the  memorable  battle  of  April- 19,  1775.  He  bequeathed 
500  pounds  to  Harvard  University  to  promote  medical  science,  and  died 
July  3d,  1788,  aged  60.  (Thacher's  Medical  Biography.  Harper's 
Monthly,  May,  1875.) 

Dr.  Dexter  was  in  the  skirmish  as  a  minute  man,  a  sketch  of  whom  will  be 
found  among  the  physicians  who  were  at  Bunker  Hill. 

Dr.  Eliphalet  Downer,  of  Roxbury,  was  engaged  in  the  various  actions 
between  the  British  soldiers  and  the  militia  and  minute  men  of  Massachu- 
setts on  the  19th  of  April,  1775.  He  was  so  eager  in  his  pursuit  of  the 
retreating  soldiers  as  to  come  into  personal  collision  with  one  whom,  in  the 
encounter,  he  was  obliged  to  kill  with  his  bayonet.  He  was  surgeon  to  one 
of  the  regiments  under  Gen.  Putnam,  at  Charlestown,  in  December,  1775, 
and  was  kept  in  readiness  for  service  for  days  together  in  expectation  of 
an  attack,  while  the  militia  fortified  Leachmore's  Point.  (Heath's  Memoirs, 
pp.  14-32.) 

Dr.  Timothy  Minot  was  a  graduate  of  Harvard  College  in  1747,  and  long 
a  successful  practitioner  of  Concord,  Mass,,  where  he  died  August  1,  1804, 
aged  78.  A  number  of  British  troops  had  their  wounds  dressed  by  him  after 
the  battle  on  the  evening  of  April  19.  He  was  one  of  the  most  influential 
founders  and  supporters  of  the  Middlesex  Medical  Association.  (Ailibone's 
Biographical  Dictionary.  Harper's  Magazine,  May,  1875.) 

Dr.  Samuel  Prescott,  of  Concord,  a  warm  patriot,  who  fortunately  escaped 
capture  at  Lexington  when  his  companions,  Paul  Revere  and  Wm.  Dawes, 
who  with  him  were  sent  to  arouse  the  people  and  inform  them  that  the 
British  were  marching  to  capture  and  destroy  the  military  stores  at  Lexing- 
ton and  Concord,  were  taken  prisoners.  The  doctor's  horse,  being  spirited, 
leaped  a  stone  fence,  and  thus  he  escaped  and  was  able  to  give  the  alarm 
at  every  house  along  the  route,  so  that  the  Minute  Men  were  aroused  and 
on  the  ground  when  the  British  arrived.  (Frothingham' s  Siege  of  Boston, 
pp.  60-65.) 

Dr.  Thomas  Welch,  a  graduate  of  Harvard  in  1772,  assisted  in  taking 
care  of  the  wounded  at  the  battles  of  Lexington  and  Concord.  He  entered 
the  military  service  in  the  revolution  as  surgeon  of  the  27th  Continental 
Regiment.  He  was  subsequently  connected  with  the  Marine  Hospital  at 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  13 

of  whom  by  their  devotion  to  the  cause  are  well  known  in 
history.1 

The  assemblies  and  conventions  of  the  other  colonies  at 
this  period  also  furnish  us  with  the  names  of  leading  medical 
men,  so  that  the  make  up  of  the  Congress  of  Massachusetts 
may  be  taken  as  the  rule  of  such  bodies,  and  not  as  an 
exception. 

The  battles  of  Lexington  and  Concord  improved  the  pros- 
pects of  a  union  of  the  Colonies,  from  all  of  which  Massa- 
chusetts received  an  expression  of  sympathy  and  pledge  of 
support.  An  army  of  over  3000  men  soon  appeared  around 
the  environs  of  Boston,  forming  a  line  of  encampments  from 
Roxbury  to  the  Mystic  River.  The  British  lay  closely 
locked  up  in  the  peninsula  upon  which  Boston  is  situated. 
The  necessity  for  establishing  hospitals  for  the  care  of  the 
soldiers  now  for  the  first  time  forced  itself  upon  the  consider- 
ation of  the  commanders,  and  of  the  Prov.  Congress,  which 
body  took  up  the  subject  immediately  after  the  assembling 
at  Watertown  on  April  22,  1775.  Thus  far  the  colonels 
and  sometimes  the  captains  exercised  the  power  of  appoint- 

Charlestown,  and  was  consulting  physician  to  the  Massachusetts  General 
Hospital.  Throughout  a  long  life  he  enjoyed  the  love  and  respect  of  the 
whole  country.  He  died  in  Boston,  in  1831,  aged  89. 

Dr.  Joseph  Warren.  A  sketch  of  this  eminent  physician  and  most  noted 
patriot  will  be  found  in  another  place. 

1  Names  of  the  physicians  who  were  members  of  the  Provincial  Congress 
of  Mass,  in  1774-5  :  Joseph  Batchelder,  of  Grafton,  Worcester  Co. ;  Wra. 
Bayliss,  of  Dighton,  Bristol  Co. ;  Chauncy  Brewer,  of  West  Springfield, 
Hampshire  Co. ;  Alex.  Campbell,  of  Oxford,  Worcester  Co. ;  Benj.  Church, 
of  Boston ;  David  Cobb,  of  Taunton,  Bristol  Co. ;  Wm.  Dinsmore,  of 
Lancaster,  Worcester  Co. ;  John  Corbet,  of  Bellingham,  Suffolk  Co. ;  Isaac 
Foster,  of  Charlestown,  Middlesex  Co.;  Ephraim  Guiteau,  of  New  Marl- 
borough,  Berkshire  Co. ;  Jeremiah  Hall,  of  Pembroke,  Plymouth  Co. ; 
James  Hawse,  of  Westborough,  Worcester  Co. ;  Samuel  Holten,  of 
Danvers,  Essex  Co. ;  Wm.  Jamieson,  of  Meriden,  Worcester  Co. ;  David 
Jones,  of  Abington,  Plymouth  Co.;  Moses  Morse,  of  Worthington,  Hamp- 
shire Co. ;  Richard  Perkins,  of  Bridgwater,  Plymouth  Co. ;  Chas.  Pynchon, 
of  Springfield,  Hampshire  Co. ;  Ebenezer  Sawyer,  of  Wells,  York  Co. ; 
John  Taylor,  of  Summerburgh,  Worcester  Co. ;  Joseph  Warren,  of  Boston  ; 
William  Whiting,  of  the  towns  of  Egmont  and  Alfred,  in  Berkshire  Co.  It 
is  probable  that  there  are  other  physicians  whose  names  deserve  a  place  in 
the  list. 


14  MEDICAL   MEN 

ing  surgeons  to  their  commands.  To  improve  the  medical 
service  the'  Second  Prov.  Congress  of  Mass,  on  the  8th 
of  May,  1775,  at  the  instance  of  the  Committee  of  Safety, 
created  a  committee  to  examine  surgeons  for  the  army. 
This  was  the  first  of  the  kind  in  America.1 

Dr.  James  Thacher,  in  his  military  journal  of  this  period, 
has  left  a  record  of  the  character  of  these  examinations.2 

An  army  was  formed  almost  without  effort  or  authority. 
Men,  of  every  occupation  and  profession,  armed  and  went 
individually  or  in  companies  to  Boston  to  assist  in  the  de- 
fence of  the  Colony.  At  first  it  was  hoped  that  there  would 
be  no  war,  but  that  an  understanding  would  be  reached 
which  would  prevent  a  resort  to  arms,  and  leave  the  Colonies 
to  the  enjoyment  of  their  ancient  and  cherished  rights. 

1  Whereas  it  appears  to  this  committee  that  great  uneasiness  may  arise  in 
the  army  by  the  appointment  of  surgeons  who  may  not  be  agreeable  to  the 
officers  and  soldiers  in  their  respective  regiments,  it  is,  therefore,  voted  that 
it  be  recommended  to  Congress  to  allow  the  colonel  of  each  regiment  to 
nominate  the  surgeon  of  his  regiment ;  said  surgeon  to  nominate  his  mate, 
and,  unless  there  is  some  material  objection  made  against  them,  that  they 
be  accordingly  appointed.     May  8,  1775.     Ordered,  That  the  president  pro 
tern.,  Dr.  Church,  Dr.  Taylor,  Dr.  Holten,  and  Dr.  Dinsmore,  be  appointed  a 
committee  to  examine  such  persons  who  are  or  may  be  recommended  as 
surgeons  for  the  army  now  forming  in  the  Colony. 

Resolved,  That  persons  recommended  by  commanding  officers  of  the 
several  regiments  be  appointed  surgeons  of  their  several  regiments,  provided 
they  appear  duly  qualified  upon  examination. 

June  2,  1775.  Ordered,  That  Dr.  Whiting  and  Dr.  Bayliss  be  added  to 
the  committee  which  was  appointed  by  the  last  Congress  to  examine  those 
persons  who  might  be  nominated  for  surgeons  of  the  Mass.  Army.  June 
16,  1775,  Drs.  Hall  and  Jones  were  added  to  the  committee  to  examine 
surgeons  for  the  army. 

Resolved,  That  any  three  of  said  committee  be  a  quorum. 

2  July  17, 1775.  Thacher's  Military  Journal  says  :  "  On  the  day  appointed 
the  medical  candidates,  sixteen  in  number,  were  summoned  before  the  board 
for  examination.  This  business  occupied  about  four  hours  ;  the  subjects  were 
anatomy,  physiology,  surgery,  and  medicine.     It  was  not  long  after  that  I 
was  happily  relieved  from  suspense  by  receiving  the  sanction  and  acceptance 
of  the  board,  with  more  acceptable  instructions  relative  to  the  faithful  dis- 
charge of  duty  and  the  humane  treatment  of  those  soldiers  who  may  have 
the  misfortune  to  require  my  assistance.     Six  of  our  number  were  privately 
rejected  as  being  found  unqualified.     The  examination  was  in  a  considerable 
degree  close  and  severe,  which  occasioned  not  a  little  agitation  in  our  ranks.' 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  15 

There  was  as  yet  no  regularly  constituted  military  establish- 
ment to  resist  aggression  or  repel  force.  The  exigencies  of 
the  hour  required  the  services  of  military  leaders  and  medi- 
cal men,  otherwise,  failure  would  have  been  inevitable.  As 
yet,  the  only  real  or  pretended  source  of  authority  was  the 
Provincial  Congress  of  Massachusetts.1 

The  Congress  and  Council  of  Safety  of  this  colony  were, 
therefore,  naturally  looked  to  by  the  patriots  for  guidance. 

Happily,  these  bodies  had  in  them  men  of  ability  and 
courage  who  acted  with  rare  wisdom,  promptness,  and  deci- 
sion. Addresses  were  issued  to  the  people ;  able  generals 
were  selected  to  command ;  the  militia  was  organized  and 
made  familiar  with  the  duties  of  the  soldier,  and  supplies  of 
all  kinds  were  collected.  Hospitals  were  established,  and 
surgeons  appointed  to  them  as  well  as  to  the  regiments ; 
medicines  and  medical  stores  were  provided.  At  an  early 
day  in  the  controversy,  through  the  sagacity  of  Samuel 
Adams,  committees  of  correspondence  and  councils  of  safety 
had  been  established  in  nearly  every  town  and  county  with- 
in the  several  colonies.  Through  these  channels  the  different 
sections  of  the  country  were  kept  advised  of  the  actual  state 
of  feeling  among  the  people,  as  well  as  of  the  movements  of 
the  enemy.2 

1  May  13,  1775,  "  Committee  of  Safety  voted,  that  General  Thomas  be 
desired  to  deal  out  medicine  to  such  persons  as  he  shall  think  proper,  for 
the  use  of  the  sick  soldiers  at  Boxbury,  until  the  surgeons  for  the  respective 
regiments  are  regularly  appointed."  (Journ.  Prov.  Cong.  Mass.,  p.  5f/4.) 

May  14.  "  Mr.  Andrew  Craigie,  Commissary  of  the  medical  stores,  was 
directed  and  empowered  to  impress  beds,  bedding,  and  other  necessaries  for 
the  sick  as  they  may  be  wanting,  giving  the  owners  a  receipt  for  such 
articles  as  they  may  take  for  the  purpose  aforesaid."  (Journ.  of  Prov. 
Cong.,  p.  545.) 

2  Third  Prov.  Cong,  of  Mass.,  June  12, 1775,  Ordered,  "  that  Dr.  Whiting, 
Dr.  Taylor,  and  Mr.  Parks,  be  a  committee  to  consider  some  method  of  supply- 
ing the  several  surgeons  of  the  army  with  medicines."    ( Journ.  Prov.  Cong. 
Mass.,  p.  321.)  "  The  committee  appointed  to  consider  the  method  for  supply- 
ing the  surgeons  in  the  army  with  medicines  reported';  the  report  was  read  and 
accepted,  and  is  as  follows:  The  committee  appointed  to  take  into  considera- 
tion a  complaint  that  surgeons  in  the  army  are  not  properly  furnished  with 
medicine,  have  attended  to  that  service,  and  beg  leave  to  report,  that  whereas 
it  appears  that  there  is  not  as  yet  a  sufficient  number  of  medicine  chests 


16  MEDICAL    MEN 

An  hospital  had  been  opened  in  Charlestown  for  soldiers, 
immediately  after  the  battles  of  Concord  and  Lexington,  if 
not  earlier.  Up  to  this  time  the  sick  had  been  cared  for  in 
private  houses.1 

Diplomacy  having  failed,  the  Continental  Congress,  then 
in  session  at  Philadelphia,  began  to  realize  more  fully  the 
determined  purpose  of  Great  Britain  to  subjugate  the 
Colonies,  and  on  the  26th  of  May,  1775,  passed  resolutions 
that  the  Colonies  be  put  in  a  state  of  defence,  and  that 
20,000  men  should  be  immediately  equipped. 

The  colony  of  Massachusetts  had,  through  her  Provincial 
Congress,  on  the  26th  of  October,  1774,  recommended  the 
organization  of  her  militia  into  companies  and  their  equip- 
ment. Most  of  the  other  Colonies  had  only  a  theoretical 

provided  to  furnish  each  regiment  with  a  distinct  chest ;  and  whereas  the 
Committee  of  Supplies  are  making  provision  for  supplying  each  regiment 
with  such  medicine  chests  as  soon  as  possible :  therefore,  Resolved,  That  the 
Committee  of  Supplies  be,  and  are  hereby  directed  immediately  to  furnish 
the  surgeons  of  the  First  Regiment  at  Roxbury,  each  of  them  with  a  medi- 
cine chest,  for  the  present,  and  that  all  other  surgeons  in  the  army  at  Cam- 
bridge and  Roxbury  have  free  recourse  to  the  said  chests,  and  be  supplied 
from  them  from  time  to  time  as  they  shall  find  occasion,  until  more  ample 
provision  shall  be  made  for  them,  all  of  which  is  humbly  submitted,  and 
the  committee  beg  leave  to  sit  again."  As  early  as  Dec.  20,  1774,  the 
Committee  of  Safety  and  Supplies  voted  unanimously  that  Dr.  Warren, 
Dr.  Church,  and  the  Hon.  John  Hancock  be  a  committee  to  inspect  the 
commissaries'  stores  in  Boston,  and  report  what  surgeons'  stores  and  stores 
of  other  kind  are  there.  (Journ.  Prov.  Cong.  Mass.,  p.  506.) 

1  The  Committee  of  Safety,  April  29,  1775,  voted  that  Maj.  Bigelow  be 
applied  to,  to  furnish  a  man  and  horse  to  attend  the  surgeons,  and  convey 
medicines  agreeable  to  their  directions.  (Journ.  Prov.  Cong.  Mass.,  p.  521.) 
Voted,  That  Dr.  Isaac  Foster  be  directed  and  empowered  to  remove  all 
sick  and  wounded,  whose  circumstances  will  permit  of  it,  into  the  hospital, 
and  to  supply  proper  beds  and  bedding,  clothing,  victuals,  and  furniture, 
with  every  other  article  which  he  shall  judge  proper  for  said  hospital,  and 
that  this  be  sufficient  order  for  him  to  draw  on  the  commissary  for  such  arti- 
cles as  he  can  supply,  and  to  draw  orders  upon  the  commissary  for  payment 
of  whatever  expenses  are  necessary  for  procuring  the  above-mentioned  arti- 
cles. (Journ.  Prov.  Cong.  Mass.,  p.  527.) 

The  house  of  Gov.  Oliver,  in  Cambridge,  was  used  as  an  hospital,  and 
that  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Cooks  in  West  Cambridge. 

August  21,  1775,  Mr.  Fairweather's  house,  in  Cambridge,  was  fitted  up 
for  and  used  as  an  hospital. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  17 

military  system  or  quasi  military  organization,  with  but 
very  few  arms  and  no  military  stores.1 

The  province  of  Massachusetts  had,  under  the  circum- 
stances, made  all  the  martial  preparation  possible  for  defend- 
ing her  rights,  and  which  seemed  in  the  opinion  of  the 
commanders  to  justify  more  active  operations.  The  first 
movement,  however,  brought  on  the  engagement  which  is 
known  in  history  as  the  battle  of  "Bunker's  Hill,"  and 
the  "Burning  of  Charlestown."  In  that  engagement  the 
Americans  numbered,  all  told,  according  to  the  estimate  of 
General  Washington,  2200,  of  which,  perhaps  1500  were  in 
action  ;  while  the  British  had  not  less  than  4000  trained 
soldiers.  The  battle  was  closely  contested,  so  that  the 
nnmber  killed  and  wounded  on  both  sides  was,  considering 
the  force  engaged,  large,  with  a  more  than  ordinary  propor- 
tion of  officers.2 

There  has  been  some  question  among  historians  as  to 
whom  belongs  the  honor  of  commanding  the  Provincials. 
Dr.  James  Thacher,  a  surgeon  in  active  service  throughout 
the  war,  and  who  kept  a  journal  of  events  supposed  to  have 
been  recorded  at  the  time,  says  on  page  29,  "  On  the  Ameri- 
can side,  Generals  Putnam,  Warren,  Pomeroy,  and  Colonel 
Prescott  were  emphatically  the  heroes  of  the  day,  and  their 

1  Prov.  Cong.,  Mass.,  Oct.  26,  1774,  Resolved,  That  as  the  security  of 
the  lives,  liberties,  and  properties,  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  province  de- 
pends, under  Providence,  on  their  knowledge  and  skill  in  military  art,  and 
their  being  properly  and  effectually  armed  and  equipped,  it  is  therefore  re- 
commended that  they  immediately  provide  themselves  therewith  ;  that  they 
use  their  utmost  diligence  to  perfect  themselves  in  military  skill ;  and  that 
if  any  of  the  inhabitants  are  not  provided  with  arms  and  ammunition  ac- 
cording to  law,  and  that  if  any  town  or  district  within  the  province  is  not 
provided  with  a  full  stock  of  arms  and  ammunition  according  to  law,  that  the 
selectmen  of  such  town  or  district  shall  take  effectual  care,  without  delay, 
to  provide  the  same.  P.  34. 

3  The  British  had  226  killed.  828  wounded.  The  Americans,  129  killed, 
314  wounded  and  missing ;  among  the  latter  36  had  been  taken  prisoners. 
( Thacher's  Journ.,  p.  30.)  The  British  had  19  commissioned  officers  killed, 
and  70  wounded.  The  Prov.  officers  of  note  killed  were  Gen.  Joseph 
Warren,  of  Boston  ;  Colonel  Gardner,  of  Cambridge ;  Lieut.  Col.  Parker, 
of  Chelmsford;  Major  Moore,  and  Major  McClancy.  (tfolmes's  Annals, 
vol.  ii.  p.  211.) 

2 


18  MEDICAL   MEN 

unexampled  efforts  were  crowned  with  glory.  The  incom- 
parable Colonel  Prescott  marched  at  the  head  of  the  detach- 
ment, and,  though  several  general  officers  were  present,  he 
retained  the  command  during  the  action."  To  these  names 
should  be  added  those  of  Gen.  Ward  and  Gen.  Joseph  Warren. 
The  latter  fell  in  the  engagement.  The  whole  community 
mourned  the  doctor's  death,  for  all  classes  ranked  him 
among  the  brightest  of  their  patriots.  Those  familiar  with 
the  history  of  these  times  will  recollect  that  at  the  motion 
of  Samuel  Adams  the  colonies  had  sent  delegates  to  a 
Congress  which  met  in  New  York,  Oct.  7,  1765,  and  which, 
fortunately,  before  adjourning  provided  for  the  calling  of  an- 
other in  case  the  public  welfare  required.  This  apprehended 
emergency  had  arisen,  and  a  Congress  of  all  the  colonies 
was  called,  and  met  in  Philadelphia  September  5,  1774. 
They  held  a  session  of  a  little  less  than  two  months,  which 
afforded  an  opportunity  for  conferring  freely  upon  the  con- 
dition and  interests  of  the  colonies,  and  having  adopted  a 
bill  of  rights,  and  again  petitioned  the  king,  adjourned  Octo- 
ber 26,  without  adopting  any  resolutions  of  union.  In  the 
event  that  no  relief  to  their  grievances  should  be  granted,  it 
was  recommended  that  another  Congress  assemble  in  Phila- 
delphia May  10, 1775.  If  any  disposition  had  been  wanting, 
the  events  of  the  winter  and  the  skirmishes  at  Concord  and 
Lexington  determined  the  necessity  for  this  Congress.  The 
term  "United  Colonies"  was  first  used  officially  in  a  resolu- 
tion passed  June  7,  1775,  appointing  the  twentieth  day  of 
July  as  a  day  of  prayer  to  be  observed  "  by  the  twelve  United 
Colonies."  Georgia  at  this  time  was  not  represented  in  Con- 
gress. 

It  was  characteristic  of  the  chivalry  of  America  that  the 
Colonies  should  declare  themselves  free  and  independent  by 
the  adoption  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  as  they  did 
on  the  4th  of  July,  before  they  would  agree  upon  a  definite 
union  among  themselves.1 

1  It  is  true  the  subject  of  a  Union  of  the  Colonies  had  been  somewhat  con- 
sidered. A  recommendation  from  Great  Britain  as  early  as  the  French  War 
was  made  to  the  several  governors  for  a  "  Union  for  Defence."  As  a  step  in 
this  direction  the  Commissioners  of  Plantations  invited  a  convention  of 


OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  19 

Articles  of  Confederation  between  the  Provincial  Colonies 
were  only  agreed  upon  on  the  12th  day  of  July,  1776;  so  it 
will  be  seen  that  the  battles  of  Lexington  and  Concord,  the 
capture  of  Fort  Ticonderoga,  the  capture  of  Crown  Point, 
and  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  were  fought  by  the  four  New 
England  Colonies  without  treaties  of  union,  but  with  earnest 
sympathy  and  interest  in  perfect  accord.1  The  reason  that 
the  names  of  the  colonies  of  Maine  and  Vermont  do  not 
appear  in  the  list  will  be  given  in  another  place. 

The  term  "United  States"  was,  by  resolution  of  Congress, 
substituted,  in  all  commissions  and  official  papers,  for  that 
of  "  United  Colonies,"  on  the  9th  of  Sept.  1776. 

The  autonomy  of  a  nation  was  created  by  the  adoption  of 
the  Declaration  of  Independence  and  the  recognition  of  a 
government  in  the  Continental  Congress.  The  battle  fought 

delegates  from  all  the  colonies  to  assemble  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  on  the  14th 
of  June,  1754,  for  the  purpose  of  holding  a  conference  with  the  Six  Nations, 
and  securing  their  friendship.  Governor  Shirly,  of  Massachusetts,  suggested 
to  the  governors  that  the  delegates  be  instructed  to  consider  the  subject  of 
a  grand  union.  Seven  colonies  were  represented,  namely :  New  Hampshire, 
Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island,  Connecticut,  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  and 
Maryland.  Dr.  Franklin,  a  member  of  this  convention,  strongly  advocated 
a  union  for  defence  and  also  for  government.  He  prepared  a  plan  which 
was  adopted  by  the  convention,  but  as  it  had  to  be  referred  to  Parliament, 
it  was  there  opposed  by  the  Board  of  Trade,  and  thus  defeated. 

The  next  step  that  showed  co-operation,  and  a  more  successful  one,  was 
the  resolution  of  association  against  importation,  adopted  by  the  Continental 
Congress  in  Philadelphia,  October  18,  1774. 

1  In  a  note  in  Frothingham's  History  of  the  Siege  of  Boston,  Prest.  Adams 
says :  "  The  army  at  Cambridge  was  not  a  national  army,  for  there  was  no 
nation.  It  was  not  a  United  States  army,  for  there  were  no  United  States. 
It  was  not  an  army  of  United  Colonies,  for  it  could  not  be  said  in  any  sense 
that  the  Colonies  were  united.  The  centre  of  their  union,  the  Congress  of 
Philadelphia,  had  not  adopted  nor  acknowledged  the  army  at  Cambridge. 
It  was  not  a  New  England  army,  for  New  England  had  not  associated. 
New  England  had  no  legal  legislature  nor  any  common  executive  authority 
even  upon  the  principles  of  original  authority,  or  even  of  original  power  in 
the  people.  Massachusetts  had  her  army,  Connecticut  her  army,  New 
Hampshire  her  army,  and  Rhode  Island  her  army.  These  four  armies  met 
at  Cambridge  and  imprisoned  the  British  array  at  Boston.  But  who  was 
the  sovereign  of  this  united,  or  rather,  congregated  army,  and  who  its  Com- 
mander-in-chief? Putnam,  Poor,  Green,  were  as  independent  of  Ward,  as 
Ward  was  of  them." 


20  MEDICAL   MEN 

at  Boston,  which  threw  the  whole  country  into  the  highest 
state  of  excitement  and  alarm,  was  followed  so  naturally  the 
next  year  by  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  as  to  give  eclat 
and  popularity  to  the  latter  measure,  as  it  flattered  the  mar- 
tial spirit  and  pride  of  the  country. 

It  was  a  sad  Saturday  night  and  Sunday  which  followed 
the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  The  carrying  of  the  wounded 
to  their  homes  or  to  private  houses  and  hospitals  ;  the  bury- 
ing the  dead  with  all  the  scenes  of  private  grief  and  camp 
excitement,  gave  a  mournful  aspect  to  the  day  and  to  the 
religious  exercises,  which  were  well  calculated  to  produce  a 
profound  impression  on  all  who  were  capable  of  reflection. 
The  private  houses  could  no  longer  accommodate  the  sick 
and  wounded,  so  that  additional  hospitals  had  to  be  impro- 
vised. The  wounded  during  the  battle  were  removed  to  the 
west  side  of  Bunker's  Hill,  and  from  there  to  Cambridge. 
The  army  had  no  well-disciplined  corps  ready  with  conve- 
nient "  stretchers"  on  which  to  convey  the  wounded  from  the 
field  of  action  to«the  rear,  or  comfortable  ambulances  to  take 
them  thence  to  the  hospital.  The  soldier's  blanket,  with 
muskets  or  poles,  improvised  a  sort  of  cot,  and  the  common 
wagon,  cart,  or  sled  was  the  precursor  for  the  roomy  and 
easy-motioned  ambulance  used  in  the  army  of  the  present 
day.1 

'  June  19,  1775,  the  Prov.  Cong,  of  Mass,  appointed  Dr.  Hall.  Dr.  Jones, 
and  Mr.  Bigelow  a  committee  to  consider  the  expediency  of  establishing 
another  hospital  for  the  sick  and  wounded  of  the  army,  and  ordered  to  sit 
forthwith. 

"The  committee  appointed  to  consider  the  expediency  of  establishing 
another  hospital  for  the  army,  report  that  a  house  belonging  to  Dr.  Spring 
of  this  place  (Watertown)  may  be  had  for  the  purpose ;  wherefore 

"  Eesolved,  That  said  committee  be  directed  to  inquire  at  what  rate  per 
mouth  Dr.  Spring  will  let  the  same." 

"  The  same  day,"  upon  motion  made,  "  Resolved,  that  the  house  of  Mr. 
Hunt,  at  Cambridge,  be  hired  for  a  hospital,  and  that  the  committee  ap- 
pointed to  treat  with  Dr.  Spring,  be  a  committee  to  hire  the  same.  The  com- 
mittee appointed  to  confer  with  Dr.  Spring  relative  to  the  use  of  his  house  for 
another  hospital,  reported,  That  they  judge  it  really  expedient  to  have 
another  hospital  established ;  and  that  they  judge  that  the  house  of  Dr. 
Spring,  in  Watertown,  is  convenient  for  that  purpose,  and  that  he  is  willing 
said  house  should  be  improved  by  the  province  for  that  use,  but  at  present. 


OF    THE   KEVOLUTION.  21 

The  Provincial  Congress  of  Massachusetts  on  the  22d  of 
June,  1775,  took  further  steps  to  secure  a  greater  number  of 
surgeons  so  as  to  insure  proper  attention  to  the  sick  and 
wounded  in  the  hospitals.1 

Greater  surgical  proficiency  and  a  more  regular  system 
for  the  prompt  care  and  treatment  of  sick  and  wounded 
soldiers  had  now  become  a  necessity,  and  Congress  was 
active  in  affording  relief  in  every  possible  way.2 

The  surgeons  then  in  service  were  instructed  to  improvise 
hospitals  as  best  they  could.  The  patriotism  of  all  classes 
was  so  active  and  sympathetic  that  this  was  for  the  time  an 
easy  matter. 

As  might  be  expected,  the  demand  for  hospital  accommo- 
dation was  increasing.3 

cannot  ascertain  the  damage  it  may  be  to  him,  but  is  willing  to  submit  that 
matter  to  judgment  of  a  committee  to  be  hereafter  appointed  by  the  Hon. 
Congress  or  the  House  of  Assembly.  By  order,  J.  HALL." 

W.  Hunt,  in  behalf  of  the  proposition  of  the  house,  desired  for  the  use  as 
an  hospital,  sent  Congress  the  following : — 

Gents :  With  respect  to  the  hire  of  the  house  belonging  to  John  Hunt, 
Esq.,  for  an  hospital,  the  proprietor  only  expects  such  a  consideration  from 
the  colony  as  will  be  satisfactory  for  the  necessary  damage  to  the  house, 
expecting  proper  care  will  be  taken  ;  that  the  outhouses,  etc.,  be  kept  in 
good  order. 

1  June  19, 1775.    Ordered,  That  Dr.  Church,  Dr.  Taylor,  and  Dr.  Whiting, 
be  a  committee  to  consider  what  method  is  proper  to  be  taken  to  supply 
the  hospitals  with  surgeons ;  and  that  the  same  gentlemen  be  a  committee 
to  provide  medicines  and  other  necessaries  for  the  hospitals.     (Journ.  Prov. 
Cong.  Mass.,  June  19, 1775.) 

2  Joitrn.  Prov.  Cong.  Mass.,  June  22, 1775.    Resolved,  That  (the  colonels) 
in  the  Massachusetts  army  be,  and  they  are  hereby  directed  immediately  to 
inform  the  committee  appointed  by  Congress  to  examine  the  surgeons  of 
said  army,  whom  they  recommend  for  surgeons  and  surgeons'  mates  of  their 
respective  regiments,  and  send  them  to  said  committee  for  examination 
without  delay  except  such  as  have  been  examined.     This  was  sent  to 
General  Ward. 

3  June  19,  1775.    The  Committee  of  Safety  of  Mass.  Resolved,  That  the 
house  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Cook,  of  Menotomy,  be  improved  as  a  hospital 
for  the  colony  army,  and  that  Mr.  William  Eustis  be,  and  is  hereby  ap- 
pointed to  the  care  of  the  sick  and  wounded  in  said  hospital  till  the  further 
order  of  this  committee.     Ordered,  That  Dr.  Isaac  Foster  be,  and  hereby 
is  directed  to  take  up  and  improve  as  hospital,  so  many  houses  in  Menotomy 
as  he  may  find  necessary  for  the  safety  of  the  sick  and  wounded  of  the 


22  MEDICAL   MEN 

On  the  22d  of  June,  the  Provincial  Congress  appointed 
Dr.  Francis  Kittredge  to  attend  the  hospital  until  further 
order  of  Congress,  and  instructed  the  colonels  to  nominate 
suitable  persons  to  act  as  surgeons  to  the  regiments.1 

An  hospital  was  also  directed  to  be  provided  for  the  camp 
at  Roxbury,  and  a  committee  appointed  to  carry  the  measure 
into  effect.2 

Contagious  diseases,  the  pest  of  armies,  had  actually  begun 
to  be  an  additional  source  of  anxiety,  and  provision  was 
therefore  made  to  treat  in  a  separate  hospital  soldiers  attacked 
with  smallpox.3 

Colony  army,  and  that  he  employ  such  person  or  persons  as  may  be  neces- 
sary to  carry  such  provisions  and  other  necessaries  as  may  be  wanted  for 
the  further  use  of  the  aforesaid  sick  and  wounded  ;  and  that  further  he  take 
such  precautions,  respecting  the  smallpox  hospital,  as  may  be  necessary 
for  the  prevention  of  the  spreading  of  that  epidemical  disorder  in  the  camp 
or  elsewhere. 

1  Ordered,  That  Doct.  Francis  Kittredge  be  desired  to  attend  the  hospital 
as  a  surgeon  till  the  further  order  of  Congress ;  and  that  Mr.  Kendall  be 
desired  to  inform  Dr.  Kittredge  of  his  appointment.     Ordered,  That  the 
colonels  in  the  several  regiments  in  the  Massachusetts  army  be  directed  to 
recommend  immediately  suitable  persons  for  surgeons,  and  surgeons'  mates. 

2  June  22,  The  Prov.  Congress  of  Massachusetts  "Ordered,  That  a  hos- 
pital be  provided  for  the  camp  at  Roxbury.  and  that  Col.  Davis,  Dr.  Taylor, 
and  Dr.  Whiting,  be  a  committee  to  provide  one  accordingly,  and  supply 
the  same.     June  23,  the  committee  appointed  to  provide  a  hospital  for  the 
camp  at  Roxbury,  reported  as  follows  :  "  That  they  have  appointed  the  house 
belonging  to  Joshua  Loring  in  said  Roxbury,  for  a  hospital,  and  for  the  use  of 
said  camp."     The  report  was  accepted.     Journ.  Prov.  Cong,  of  Massachu- 
setts, 375,  378,  The  experiences  of  the  war  amply  demonstrate  the  great 
importance  of  good  hygienic  and  sanitary  provisions  for  the  troops.     We 
observe  that  Massachusetts  from  the  commencement  of  hostilities  enjoined 
vigilance  in  this  regard  on  the  part  of  her  medical  officers,  and  military  com- 
manders.    Her  Council  of  Safety,  as  well  as  public  sentiment,  cooperated 
to  preserve  the  health,  and  make  her  soldiers  efficient. 

3  June  27,  Prov.  Congress  of  Massachusetts  "  Ordered,  That  the  committee 
appointed  to  provide  hospitals  for  the  army,  be  directed  to  provide  another 
hospital,  to  be  appropriated  solely  for  such  of  the  army  as  may  be  taken 
with  the  smallpox,  and  to  consider  what  measures  can  be  taken  to  prevent 
the  spreading  of  that  distemper ;   and  that  Dr.  Rand  and  Dr.  Foster  be 
added  to  the  committee."     Voted,  by  the  same  body,  June  24,  That  there 
shall  be  two  surgeons  and  two  mates  appointed  for  each  hospital,  and  com- 
missioned accordingly.    "Ordered,  That  the  committee  appointed  to  examine 
the  surgeons,  be  desired  to  report  an  establishment  for  the  surgeons  of 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  23 

The  form  of  a  warrant  or  commission  to  be  issued  to  sur- 
geons of  the  army  and  the  hospital  department,  was  adopted 
by  the  Provincial  Congress  of  Mass.,  on  the  28th  of  June, 
1875.  The  same  form  was,  with  a  variation  as  to  character 
of  service,  used  for  surgeons'  mates,  who  were  also  ranked 
among:  the  commissioned  officers.1 

O 

On  the  first  of  July,  the  Congress  of  Massachusetts  directed 
a  committee  of  three,  Dr.  Taylor  chairman,  to  report  how 
the  sick  and  wounded  should  be  removed  to  the  hospitals, 
and  on  the  3d  of  July  a  committee  was  appointed  to  prepare 
a  letter  to  Gen.  Washington,  who  had  just  assumed  the  com- 
mand of  the  army,  and  inform  him  what  provisions  had 
been  made  for  the  sick  and  wounded.2 

hospitals."  This  committee  reported  as  follows:  "That  it  is  their  opinion, 
that  the  establishment  of  the  chief  surgeons  should  be  at  the  rate  of  eight 
pounds  per  month,  and  each  mate,  four  pounds  ten  shillings  per  month." 
(Journ.  Prov.  Cong,  of  Massachusetts,  p.  383-4.) 

1  June  28, 1775.    Adopted  the  following  form  for  the  warrant  of  a  surgeon. 
"  The  Congress  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay  to  A.  B.  Greeting.     Being  in- 
formed of  your  skill  in  surgery,  and  reposing  especial  trust  and  confidence 
in  your  ability  and  good  conduct,  we  do,  by  these  presents,  constitute  and 
appoint  you,  the  said  A.  B.,  to  be  surgeon  of  the  regiment  of  foot,  whereof 

is  Colonel,  raised  by  the  Congress  aforesaid,  for  the  defence  of  said 

Colony.     You  are,  therefore,  carefully  and  diligently  to  discharge  the  duty 
of  a  surgeon  to  the  said  regiment ;  in  all  things  appertaining  thereunto ;  ob- 
serving such  orders  and  instruction  as  you  shall  from  time  to  time  receive 
from  the  Colonel  of  said  regiment,  according  to  military  rules  and  discipline 
established  by  said  Congress ;  or  any  of  your  superior  officers,  for  which  this 
shall  be  your  sufficient  warrant.    By  order  of  the  Congress."    (Journ.  Prov. 
Cong,  of  Massachusetts,  p.  415.) 

2  Provincial  Congress  of  Massachusetts,  July  1,  1775.     "  The  committee 
appointed  to  devise  means  for  the  better  accommodation  of  the  sick  and 
wounded  of  the  army  reported.     The  report  was  read,  and  is  as  follows,  viz.: 
In  order  that  all  the  sick  and  wounded  be  provided  for  and  taken  care  of,  in 
the  best  way  and  manner  possible,  Resolved,  and  it  is  hereby  Ordered, 
That  when  any  person  in  the  army  is  so  ill,  either  by  a  wound  or  otherwise, 
that  the  surgeon  of  said  regiment  to  which  the  sick  or  wounded  man  belongs, 
finds  the  sick  or  wounded  as  aforesaid  cannot  be  properly  taken  care  of  in 
the  regiment  to  which  he  belongs,  the  said  surgeon  shall  send  the  sick  or 
wounded  as  above  said,  to  the  hospital  provided  for  the  use  of  the  camps  to 
which  they  belong,  and  a  certificate  of  the  names  named  and  the  company 
and  regiment  to  which  he  belongs  ;  and  in  that  case  the  surgeon  of  said  hos- 
pital shall  receive  said  wounded  or  sick  under  his  care,  and  in  case  said  hos- 


24  MEDICAL   MEN 

On  the  4th  of  July  a  list  of  surgeons  and  surgeons'  mates 
who  had  up  to  this  time  been  examined  and  approved  by 
the  committee  was  reported  to  the  Provincial  Congress  of 
Massachusetts,  and  warrants  ordered  to  be  made  out  for 
them.1 

pital  shall  become  too  full,  in  that  case  the  surgeon  of  said  hospital  shall 
send  such  of  his  patients  as  may  be  with  safety  removed,  to  the  hospital  in 
Watertown,  and  a  certificate  setting  forth  the  man's  name,  what  company 
and  regiment  each  belongs  to,  and  in  that  case  the  surgeon  of  the  Water- 
town  hospital  shall  receive  said  sick  and  wounded  under  his  care.  (Journ. 
Prov.  Cong,  of  Massachusetts,  p.  437.)  July  1st,  1775,  an  address  of  wel- 
come was  prepared  by  the  Prov.  Congress  of  Mass,  and  presented  to  his 
Excellency  Gen.  George  Washington,  and  another  to  Maj.  Gen.  Charles 
Lee.  (See  Journ.  Prov.  Cong,  of  Massachusetts,  p.  438-440.)  The  com- 
mittee also  reported  the  following  letter,  July  5, 1775.  "To  his  Excellency, 
Gen.  Washington.  The  Congress  ordered  the  enclosed  resolutions  (relating 
to  the  present  condition  and  proposed  improvement  of  the  hospitals)  to  be 
prepared  and  sent  to  Generals  Ward  and  Thomas ;  but  by  the  agreeable 
event  of  your  Excellency's  appointment  to  the  chief  command  of  the  Ame- 
rican army,  and  arrival  at  camp,  the  propriety  of  that  step  ceases.  We 
mean  not  to  dictate  to  your  Excellency,  but  presume,  that  to  secure  the 
health  of  the  army,  and  (to  afford)  relief  for  the  sick,  will  naturally  engage 
your  attention.  Everything  in  the  power  of  this  Congress  (to  do)  to  enable 
you  to  discharge  with  ease  the  duties  of  your  exalted  and  important  station, 
will  be  by  us  attended  to  with  the  greatest  alacrity.  If  the  enclosed  reso- 
lution has  that  tendency,  we  attain  the  end  intended  by  transmitting  to 
you  the  same,  and  with  respect  your  Excellency's  most  humble  servants." 
(Journ.  Prov.  Cong,  of  Mass.,  p.  455.) 

1  July  4, 1775.  A  list  of  surgeons  and  surgeons'  mates  to  whom  warrants 
were  directed  to  be  issued,  and  bearing  the  date  of  28th  of  June,  1775, 
from  Journ.  Prov.  Cong,  of  Massachusetts,  p.  449.  Dr.  David  Jones,  sur- 
geon ;  Samuel  Blanchard,  mate  in  Col.  Gereish's  regiment ;  Aaron  Putnam, 
mate  in  Col.  Frye's  regiment ;  Joseph  Hunt,  mate  to  Dr.  Joseph  Foster,  in 
Cambridge  Hospital ;  Jacob  Bacon,  mate  in  Col.  Scammon's  regiment ; 
Harris  Clary  Fridges,  mate;  Edward  Durant,  surgeon,  Col.  Mansfield's 
regiment;  Josiah  Harvey,  mate,  Col.  Fellow's  regiment ;  Abraham  Watson, 
Jr.,  surgeon;  Wm.  Vinal,  mate,  Col.  Gardner's  regiment;  Dr.  John  Georges, 
mate,  Gen.  Heath's  regiment ;  Dr.  Isaac  Spofford,  surgeon,  Col.  Nixon's 
regiment;  Dr.  John  Crooker,  surgeon  in  Col.  Scammon's  regiment;  Dr. 
Walter  Hastings,  surgeon  in  Col.  Bridges'  regiment ;  Dr.  Timothy  Child, 
surgeon  in  Col.  Patterson's  regiment ;  Dr.  Levi  Willard,  surgeon  in  Col. 
Reed's  regiment;  Dr.  Daniel  Parker,  surgeon  in  Col.  Walker's  regiment; 
and  Dr.  Thomas  Kittridge,  surgeon  in  Col.  Fry's  regiment.  Thereupon 
ordered  that  warrants  be  made  out  for  them  agreeably  thereto." 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  25 

We  find  that  thirty-one  medical  men  rendered  service  in 
the  Battle  of  Bunker's  Hill.1  Most  of  them  were  at  the 

1  Brief  sketches  of  the  lives  of  the  Colonial  Surgeons  who  were  at  the 
Battle  of  Bunker  Hill  are  here  given  in  alphabetical  order. 

Dr.  Elijah  Adams  was  born  in  Pomfret,  now  Brooklyn,  Connecticut,  Feb. 
17,  1754.  In  May,  1775,  he  was  appointed  mate  in  Col.  Israel  Putnam's 
regiment,  which  he  joined  at  Cambridge,  Mass.,  and  in  this  capacity  he 
was  in  the  Battle  of  Bunker's  Hill,  where  some  thirty  of  the  regiment  were 
wounded.  About  the  last  of  June,  or  early  in  July,  1775,  Dr.  John  Morgan, 
of  Philadelphia,  arrived,  and  took  charge  of  the  hospital  as  Director  General. 
Dr.  Adams  was  discharged  in  January,  1776.  In  the  spring  of  1776  he 
removed  to  Worthington,  Hampshire  Co.,  Mass.,  and  there  pursued  his  pro- 
fession until  the  evacuation  of  Fort  Ticonderoga  by  Gen.  Arthur  St.  Clair. 
In  July,  1777,  when  a  call  was  made  for  troops  to  oppose  the  progress  of  Gen. 
Burgoyne,  he  volunteered  as  surgeon  to  the  regiment  commanded  by  Major 
Clapp.  He  was  discharged  with  the  regiment  on  parole  in  September  of  the 
same  year.  He  practised  his  profession  at  Worthington,  until  1786,  when 
he  removed  to  North  East,  afterwards  Pine  Plains,  Dutchess  Co.,  Jf.  Y. 

Dr.  Jacob  Bacon  was  present  at  the  Battle  of  Bunker's  Hill  as  a  mate  in 
James  Scammon's  regiment,  of  which  John  Crooker  was  surgeon.  (Froth- 
zngham's  Siege  of  Boston.  Amer.  Arch.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  ii.  p.  1481.) 

Dr.  Samuel  Blanchard  was  commissioned  by  the  Massachusetts  Provincial 
Congress,  July  5,  1775,  as  surgeon's  mate  to  Dr.  Jones  in  Col.  Gerrish's 
regiment.  He  was  present,  however,  as  a  Minute  Man  at  the  Battle  of 
Bunker  Hill.  (Amer.  Arch..  4th  ser.,  vol.  ii.  p.  1481.) 

Dr.  James  Brickett  was  a  physician,  but  served  in  this  engagement  as 
Lieut -Col.  in  James  Frye's  regiment  (commissioned  May  27,  1775),  was 
wounded  early  in  the  action,  and  with  other  surgeons  repaired  to  the  north 
side  of  the  hill  and  remained  in  attendance  upon  the  wounded.  He  was 
also  commissioned  by  the  Provincial  Congress  of  Massachusetts  a  surgeon. 
(Siege  of  Boston,  p.  176.) 

John  Brooks,  M.D.,  LL.D.,  b.  Medford,  Mass.,  May  31, 1752,  d.  March  1, 
1825.  He  rec'd  a  common  school  education,  and  at  the  age  of  14  was 
apprenticed  for  seven  years  to  Dr.  Simon  Tufts,  of  Reading,  to  be  inducted 
into  the  art  and  mystery  of  the  medical  science.  He  settled  to  practice  in 
Reading,  Mass.,  where  from  his  fondness  for  the  military  service  he  was 
chosen  captain  of  a  militia  company,  which  he  called  out  on  the  memorable 
19th  of  April,  and  did  good  service.  He  was  appointed  May  27,  1775, 
Major  in  Ebenezer  Bridges'  Reg't,  and  was  active  in  entrenching  Breed's 
Hill  on  the  night  preceding  the  engagement,  known  as  "the  Battle  of 
Bunker  Hill." 

On  the  reorganization  of  the  army  in  1776,  he  was  made  Colonel  of  Chas. 
Webb's  reg't,  and  assisted  in  fortifying  Dorchester  Height.  He  was  a 
vigilant  officer,  a  good  disciplinarian,  and  his  command  was  distinguished 
for  good  service  and  gallant  conduct  throughout  the  war.  In  1777  he  was 


26  MEDICAL  MEN 

time  or  soon  after  became  surgeons  or  surgeons'  mates.     A 

appointed  Lieut.  Col.  of  the  8th  Mass,  regt.,  and  on  the  death  of  Col.  Allen 
was  promoted  to  the  colonelcy.  He  was  in  active  duly,  and  performed  a 
most  creditable  service  to  the  cause  of  American  liberty,  and  to  Gen. 
Washington. 

After  peace  was  declared,  he  resumed  practice  at  Medford,  Mass.,  and  was 
for  many  years  maj.-general  of  the  militia,  and  served  in  the  legislature  of 
his  State.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  convention  for  adopting  the  Federal 
Constitution,  which  he  zealously  advocated.  He  was  appointed  marshall 
of  the  district,  and  subsequently,  inspector  of  the  revenue  by  President 
Washington,  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate,  and  during  the  war  of  1812 
was  adjutant-general  of  the  State  of  Mass.  In  1816,  he  received  from  Har- 
vard Univ.  the  honorary  degree  of  M.D.,  LL.D. 

In  1817,  he  was  President  of  the  Mass.  Med.  Soc.  and  for  a  number  of 
years  after.  He  was  also  President  of  the  Soc.  of  the  Cincinnati  of  Mass. 
His  life  as  a  physician  and  a  citizen  shed  lustre  upon  his  State  and  the 
nation. 

Dr.  John  Crocker  was  commissioned  July  5,  1775,  by  the  Massachusetts 
Provincial  Congress,  surgeon  in  Col.  Scammel's  regiment.  (Amer.  Ar- 
chives, 4th  ser.,  vol.  ii.  p.  1481.) 

Dr.  William  Dexter.  Born  April  17,  1755.  Studied  medicine  with  Dr. 
Edward  Flint  of  Shrewsbury,  Mass.,  and  was  mate  to  him  in  the  service. 
He  appears  to  have  also  been  a  ';  minute  man,"  and  was  at  the  fight  at  Con- 
cord and  Lexington,  April  19, 1775;  he  immediately  after  joined  Col.  Ward's 
regiment,  in  which  he  was  appointed  mate,  June,  1775 ;  in  this  capacity  he 
was  in  the  Battle  of  Bunker's  Hill;  continued  in  the  medical  department 
during  the  war.  At  the  time  of  his  marriage,  Feb.  17, 1775,  to  Elizabeth  or 
Betsey  Bouker  of  Shrewsbury,  he  was  living  at  Marlboro.  He  died  Dec.  4, 
1785.  He  had  four  children,  Eleanor,  Lydia,  Sally,  and  William.  (MS.  in 
Dr.  Toner's  Library.) 

Dr.  Eliphalet  Downer  was  a  resident  of  Roxbury,  Mass.,  in  1794-5.  In 
1777  he  was  appointed  surgeon  to  the  cutter  "  Dolphin,"  but  the  roll  does 
not  show  how  long  he  served.  In  Sept.  1777,  his  name  appears  on  the  roll 
of  the  brig  "  Lexington,"  as  a  passenger,  when  she  had  an  engagement 
with  the  British  cutter  "  Alert,"  in  the  English  Channel.  In  this  action  he 
was  wounded  in  the  left  arm,  impairing  its  strength  and  usefulness.  He 
was  present  as  surgeon  with  the  Colonial  troops  who  were  sent  to  prosecute 
the  work  at  Lechmere's  Point,  Dec.  18.  1775.  By  a  resolve  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Council,  Oct.  23,  1776,  he  was  reimbursed,  among  others,  not 
physicians,  for  losses  sustained  at  the  battles  of  Lexington  and  Bunker's 
Hill.  (Amer.  Archives,  5th  ser.,  vol.  iii.  p.  408.  Heath's  Memoirs,  p.  32. 
MS.  in  Dr.  Toner's  library.) 

Dr.  Edward  Durant  was  commissioned  by  the  Massachusetts  Provincial 
Congress,  July  5,  1775,  surgeon  in  Col.  Mansfield's  regiment.  (Amer. 
Arch.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  ii.  p.  1481.) 

Dr.  William  Eustis  was  born  at  Cambridge,  July  10.  1753,  subsequently 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  27 

few  of  the  physicians  named  served  in  this  engagement  as 

Governor  of  Massachusetts,  died  in  Boston,  Feb.  6,  1825,  aged  71.  After 
graduating  at  Harvard  (1772)  he  studied  physic  with  Dr.  Joseph  Warren ; 
at  the  beginning  of  the  war  he  was  appointed  surgeon  of  a  regiment,  and 
afterwards  hospital  surgeon  in  1777.  During  a  part  of  the  war  he  occupied 
as  a  hospital  the  spacious  house  of  Col.  Robinson,  a  Royalist,  on  the  east 
side  of  the  Hudson,  opposite  West  Point.  Arnold  for  a  time  had  his  head- 
quarters at  the  same  house.  At  the  termination  of  the  war  he  commenced 
the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Boston.  In  1808  he  was  elected  to  Con- 
gress. By  Mr.  Madison,  he  was  appointed  Secretary  of  War,  and  held  that 
office  until  Hull's  surrender,  when  he  resigned.  In  1815  he  was  sent  as 
ambassador  to  Holland.  After  his  return  he  was  again  a  member  of  Con- 
gress for  four  successive  sessions.  He  was  chosen  governor  in  1823.  (Allen's 
Bioy.,  pp.  343-344.  Frothingham's  Siege  of  Boston,  p.  94.) 

Dr.  Isaac  Foster  was  a  member  of  the  Prov.  Congress  of  Mass.,  and 
is  mentioned  as  being  among  the  number  of  citizens  from  Middlesex  who 
petitioned  Congress  to  begin  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  He  was  a  native 
of  Charlestown ;  was  attached  to  the  hospital  at  Cambridge.  He  and  Lieut. 
Col.  Hand,  M.D.,  the  latter  at  the  time  a  surgeon  in  the  18th  regiment, 
were  competitors  of  Dr.  John  Morgan  for  the  position  of  Director-General 
of  the  army,  made  vacant  by  the  downfall  of  Dr.  Church.  Dr.  F.  was  ap- 
pointed by  Congress,  April  19,  1777,  to  be  deputy  Director-General  of  the 
hospital  in  the  eastern  department.  (Amer.  Arch.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  i.  p.  750, 
Brown's  Med.  Dept.  of  U.  S.  A.,  p.  10.  Frothingham's  Siege  of  Boston. 
Journ.  of  Cong.,  vol.  ii.  p.  87.) 

Dr.  Harris  Clary  Fridges  was  commissioned  by  the  Massachusetts  Prov. 
Cong,  surgeon's  mate,  in  Col.  John  Mansfield's  regiment,  July  5,  1775. 
(Amer.  Arch.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  ii.  p.  1481.) 

Dr.  Ezra  Green,  born  in  Maiden,  Mass.,  graduated  at  Harvard  in  1775, 
died  in  Dover,  N.  H.,  July  25.  1847,  aged  101  years  and  one  month.  He 
joined  the  army  of  the  Revolution  as  surgeon  to  James  Green's  regiment. 
Was  also  a  surgeon  in  the  "Ranger,"  commanded  by  Paul  Jones,  continuing 
in  the  navy  until  1781.  He  was  afterwards  a  merchant  in  Dover,  and  a 
member  of  the  convention  for  adopting  the  Constitution  of  the  U.  S.  After 
passing  the  age  of  80,  he  assisted  in  forming  a  Unitarian  Society.  Up  to 
his  death  he  was  in  full  possession  of  his  faculties.  (Allen's  Biog., 
Frothingham's  Siege  of  Boston,  pp.  175  and  187.) 

Dr.  John  Hart  was  born  at  Ipswich,  in  1752,  was  the  son  of  John  Hart,  a 
lawyer  and  also  a  noted  physician.  He  joined  Prescott's  regiment  at  the 
beginning  of  the  war,  and  served  until  its  close,  was  a  surgeon  of  the  2d 
Mass.  Regiment.  He  settled  at  Reading  in  1782.  He  was  for  years  in  the 
Senate,  and  was  an  estimable,  venerable  man,  a  true  patriot,  and  a  good 
Christian.  When  chosen  to  public  office,  instead  of  making  a  treat  as  was 
the  custom,  he  gave  money  to  the  amount  usually  expended  on  such  occa- 


28  MEDICAL   MEN 

commanding  officers,  and  a  few  as  minute  men  in  the  ranks. 

D 

sions  to  buy  books  for  schools.  He  died  at  Reading,  April  27,  1826,  aped 
84.  {Frothingham's  Siege  of  Boston,  p.  194.  Allen's  Biography,  pp. 
317-318.) 

Dr.  Walter  Hastings  was  commissioned  by  the  Mass.  Prov.  Cong.,  July 
5,  1775,  as  a  surgeon,  and  probably  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He 
was  a  surgeon  in  Col.  Bridge's  regiment,  and  became  entitled  to  half  pay 
for  his  services.  (Amer.  Arch.,  4th  series,  vol.  iv.  p.  646.  Records  of  Rev. 
~\Yar,  p.  422.  Frothingham's  Siege  of  Boston,  p.  175-187.) 

Dr.  Martin  Herrick  was  born  and  resided  in  Reading,  Mass.  He  entered 
the  service  early,  as  he  was  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  as  a  soldier.  His 
first  appointment  as  mate  was  probably  March,  1776,  in  the  Mass.  7th 
Regt.,  Col.  Daniel  Hitchcock,  with  whom  he  continued  nntil  the  end  of  the 
year.  He  was  again  in  the  service  from  Aug.  to  Dec.  18,  1777.  In  1778 
he  was  appointed  surgeon  to  the  armed  vessel  "Tyrannicide"  in  1781 ;  he 
was  captured  and  taken  to  Halifax  where  he  was  detained  three  months,  at 
the  end  of  which  time  he  was  released.  While  in  the  army  he  was  at  one 
time  assistant  to  Dr.  Brooks;  he  was  present  at  the  battles  and  retreat  at 
Long  Island,  Brandywine,  and  Germantown.  He  was  married  at  Reading, 
March  25,  1789,  to  Sarah  Wright,  who  died  in  Portland,  Me.,  July  23, 1843, 
set.  80.  He  died  at  Reading,  July  25,  1820,  aet.  74.  (MS.  in  Dr.  Toner's 
Library.) 

Dr.  Isaac  Hurd  was  born  in  Charleston,  Mass.,  July  27, 1756.  He  studied 
medicine  with  Dr.  Oliver  Prescott,  a  very  skilful  and  eminent  physician,  and 
at  that  time  a  member  of  the  Executive  Council  of  Mass.  In  June,  1777, 
having  completed  his  studies,  he  was  informed  by  Dr.  Prescott  that  he  had 
been  appointed  surgeon  in  the  Mass,  militia.  He  repaired  to  Boston  on  the 
first  Monday  in  July,  where  he  met  Col.  Robinson  and  other  officers  of  the 
regiment.  They  soon  departed  for  Providence,  R.  I.,  and  reported  to  Gen. 
Spencer,  he  was  ordered  to  report  to  the  Surgeon  of  the  General  Hospital 
in  that  place,  and  from  thence  he  was  sent  to  Quidnessett  Point,  thence  to 
Point  Judith,  where  some  British  vessels  were  wrecked  on  the  beach.  After 
attending  to  the  sick  and  injured  prisoners,  he  returned  to  Quidnessett 
Point.  He  was  present  at  the  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  At  the  end  of  six 
months  he  retired  from  the  service,  and  located  in  Billerica,  from  thence  he 
removed  to  and  continued  to  reside  in  Concord  in  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession. He  was  alive  in  1843,  ait.  87.  (MS.  in  Dr.  Toner's  Library.) 

Dr.  David  Jones  died  at  North  Yarmouth,  Mass.,  March  27,  1822.  At 
the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  he  was  surgeon  in  Col.  Gerrick's  regiment,  and 
rendered  services  in  the  hospital  department  under  Joseph  Warren  after  the 
battle  of  Lexington.  Was  appointed  surgeon  in  the  Mass.  26th  regiment, 
Jan.  1,  1776,  and  reappointed  at  the  end  of  nine  months  to  continue  twelve 
months  longer.  A  portion  of  the  time  in  and  around  New  York  City.  At 
the  date  of  his  marriage,  June  17,  1778,  to  Eliz.  Hobart,  both  were  living 
in  Abingdon,  Mass..  but  removed  to  North  Yarmouth.  From  about  1822 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  29 

The  physicians  who  were  in  this  memorable  battle  are  all 

he  was  afflicted  with  rheumatism  so  as  to  require  the  use  of  crutches,  and 
two  or  three  years  preceding  his  decease  he  was  unable  to  move  himself. 
His  widow  died  at  North  Yarmouth,  July  6, 1843,  aged  82.  He  was  placed 
upon  the  pension  rolls,  Pec.  21, 1819,  while  residing  in  Cumberland  County, 
Maine,  and  was  dropped  under  Act  of  May  1, 1820.  (  U.  S.  Pension  Rolls, 
vol.  i.  p.  23.  Maine  Regt.,  Frothingham's  Siege  of  Boston,  p.  178.  MS. 
in  Dr.  Toner's  Library.) 

I)r.  Thomas  Kittredge,  M.S.S.,  was  born  at  Andover,  July,  1746,  received 
his  education  at  Dummer  Academy,  in  Byfield,  and  studied  his  profession 
with  Dr.  Sawyer,  a  distinguished  physician,  at  Newburyport.  He  was  an 
eminent  practitioner,  and  extensively  employed  throughout  the  State  of 
Massachusetts.  He  was  surgeon  in  Col.  Frye's  regiment.  (Commissioned 
May  20,  1775.)  During  life  the  doctor  filled  many  municipal  and  other 
offices  of  trust ;  he  was  often  member  of  the  Legislature,  and  was  there 
useful  to  the  medical  society,  by  exerting  his  extensive  influence  in  its  favor. 
His  practice  as  a  physician  was  very  large,  but  he  was  most  distinguished 
as  a  surgeon.  He  was  remarkable  for  his  powers  of  diagnosis.  He  died 
of  angina  pectoris,  Oct.  1818.  (Thacher's  Biog.,  p.  347.  Frothingham's 
Siege  of  Boston,  p.  175-187.) 

Dr.  Aaron  Putnam  was  commissioned  by  the  Mass.  Prov.  Cong.,  July  5, 
1775,  as  a  surgeon's  mate  in  Col.  James  Frye's  regiment.  The  returns  for 
Jan.  1,  1776,  show  that  he  was  a  surgeon's  mate  of  Col.  L.  Baldwin's  26th 
regt.  of  foot.  (Amer.  Arch.,  4th  series,  vol.  ii.  p.  1481,  and  vol.  iv.  p.  646.) 

Dr.  David  Shepard  was  at  the  "  Lexington  alarm,"  April  19,  1775.  He 
was  called  from  Chester,  Mass.,  as  captain  of  a  company,  and  went  to 
Boston  April  28, 1775,  was  appointed  surgeon  in  Col.  Danielson's  regiment, 
and  was  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  He  remained  in  this  regiment  until 
Dec.  31,  1775.  In  1777,  at  the  time  of  Burgoyne's  invasion,  he  went  to 
Bennington,  Vt.,  under  Lieut.  Col.  Robinson  in  the  3d  regt.,  and  was  in  the 
battle  at  that  place.  He  was  the  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  Shepard.  of 
Westfield,  Mass.  He  married,  Dec.  3,  1767,  Margaret,  daughter  of  Ezra 
Clapp,  of  that  town.  (MS.  in  Toner  Library.) 

Dr.  Isaac  Spofford  was  commissioned,  July  5,  1775,  by  the  Mass.  Prov. 
Cong.,  as  a  surgeon  in  Col.  Nixon's  regiment,  and  was  in  this  capacity 
present  at  Bunker  Hill.  (Amer.  Arch.,  4th  series,  vol.  ii.,  1481.) 

Dr.  Samuel  Tenney  was  surgeon  in  Col.  Israel  Angell's  regiment,  Rhode 
Island  Continental  Troops,  in  1779.  (Rec.  of  War,  p.  154.)  He  was  born 
at  Byfield,  Mass.,  received  a  collegiate  education  at  Harvard,  and  studied 
medicine.  He  served  during  the  whole  war,  and  at  the  dlose  retired  from 
his  profession  and  settled  at  Exeter,  N.  H.  For  many  years  he  was  Judge 
of  Probate,  and  in  1800  was  elected  to  Congress.  He  died  in  1816.  (MS.  in 
Toner  Library.) 

Dr.  Samuel  Tenney  is  mentioned  amongst  others  who  petitioned  Gen. 
Washington  in  regard  to  certain  grievances,  also  as  having  given  evidence 


30 


MEDICAL    MEN 


worthy  of  being  mentioned.    Their  names  are  given  here  in 
alphabetical  order. 


Adams,  Elijah 
Bacon,  Jacob 
Blanchard,  Samuel 
Brickett,  James 
Brooks,  Jno. 
Crooker,  Jno. 
Dexter,  William 
Downer,  Eliphalet 
Durant,  Edward 
Eustis,  William 


Foster,  Isaac 
Fridges,  Harris  Clary 
Green,  Ezra 
Hart,  John 
Hastings,  AY  alter 
Herrick,  Martin 
Hurd,  Isaac 
Jones,  David 
Kittredge,  Thomas 
Putnam,  Aaron 
Shepard,  David 


Spofford,  Isaac 
Tenney,  Samuel 
Townsend,  David 
Vinal,  William 
Warren,  John 
Warren,  Joseph 
Watson,  Abraham 
Welsh,  Thomas 
Williams,  Obediah 
Willard,  Levi. 


before  a  court  of  inquiry  into  the  conduct  of  Captain  E.  Hamlen.  Samuel 
Tenney  was  paid  £6  7s.  Qd.  on  settling  the  accounts  of  his  State's  Con- 
tinental Battalion  (Dec.  1783).  (Amer.  Arch.,  5th  ser.,  vol.  i.  p.  695,  and 
vol.  iii.  p.  1494.  R.  L's  Col.  Rec.  1780-83,  p.  734  and  p.  746.) 

Dr.  David  Townsend  was  a  respectable  physician  of  Boston,  a  member  of 
the  Mass.  Medical  Society.  He  was  for  many  years  and  up  to  the  time  of 
his  death  physician-in-charge  of  the  Marine  Hospital  of  Mass.  He  died  in 
April  13. 1829,  aged  76.  He  published  a  4th  of  July  oration  1810;  address 
to  charitable  fire  society.  (Allen's  Biography,  and  Frothingham's  Siege 
of  Boston,  p.  194.) 

Dr.  William  Vinal  was  commissioned  July  5,  1775,  by  the  Mass.  Prov. 
Congress,  as  surgeon's  mate  in  Col.  Gardner's  regiment ;  in  this  capacity 
he  was  present  at  Bunker's  Hill.  He  is  also  mentioned  at  a  subsequent 
note  as  surgeon's  mate  in  the  25th  regiment  of  foot.  (Amer.  Arch.,  4th 
ser.,  vol.  ii.,  p.  148,  and  vol.  iv.,  646.) 

Dr.  John  AVarren  was  born  in  Roxbury,  Mass.,  July  27,  1753,  and 
graduated  at  Harvard  University  in  1771.  His  ancestors  came  to  Boston 
in  1720.  He  studied  medicine  with  his  brother  Gen.  Joseph  AArarren,  and 
located  in  Salem,  where  he  commanded  a  good  practice.  On  the  day  of  the 
battle  of  Bunker's  Hill,  his  anxiety  in  regard  to  his  brother  prompted  him 
to  the  field  of  battle,  and  in  attempting  to  pass  a  sentry,  he  received  a 
bayonet  wound,  the  scar  of  which  he  bore  through  life.  He  was  in  atten- 
dance on  the  wounded  after  that  battle,  and  was  immediately  appointed 
hospital  surgeon.  He  accompanied  the  army  to  N.  Y.  and  N.  J.  in  1776, 
and  administered  to  the  wounded  at  Trenton  and  Princeton,  remained  in 
the  service  till  the  close  of  the  war,  and  was  superintending  surgeon  of 
the  military  hospitals  in  Boston.  In  1780  he  gave  a  course  of  anatomical 
lectures  and  dissections  to  his  students  and  the  physicians  of  his  .acquaint- 
ance, and  became  Professor  of  Anatomy  and  Surgery  in  the  newly  established 
Medical  School  at  Cambridge  in  1783,  organized  through  his  influence.  He 
was  President  of  the  Mass.  Medical  Society  from  1804  and  till  his  death, 


OF   THE    KEVOLUTION.  31 

Gen.  Joseph  Warren,  the  most  eminent  of  the  list,  was 
killed,  and  Lieut.  Col.  James  Brickett  wounded.  Dr.  Benj. 
Church  would  no  doubt  have  participated  in  the  engagement, 
but  he  was  absent,  having  been  sent  in  May  by  the  Prov. 
Congress  of  Massachusetts,  of  which  he  was  a  member,  as  a 
confidential  agent  to  Philadelphia,  to  consult  the  Continental 
Congress,  convened  in  that  city,  relative  to  such  matters  as 

and  was  also  President  of  the  Agric.  and  Humane  Societies.  He  was  for 
nearly  forty  years  one  of  the  most  eminent  surgeons  in  New  England.  An 
instance  of  the  energy  of  his  character  is  manifested  by  his  preparing  a 
course  of  lectures  on  anatomy  with  but  few  books,  without  an  instructor, 
and  without  a  model.  He  delivered  several  public  addresses,  and  in  1783 
began  the  series  of  4th  of  July  orations  at  Boston,  ever  since  continued.  In 
1777  he  married  the  daughter  of  Gov.  Collins,  of  R.  I.  He  died  in  Boston, 
April  4th,  1815.  He  published  "  A  Dissertation  on  the  Mercurial  Practice 
in  Febrile  Diseases;"  an  address  to  the  lodges  of  Free  Masons,  of  which  he 
was  Grand  Master ;  and  contributed  many  articles  to  the  Journal  of  Medicine 
and  Surgery,  the  "memoirs"  of  the  Amer.  Acad.,  and  the  communications 
of  the  Mass.  Med.  Society.  (Dr.  Edward  Warren's  Life  of  John  Warren.) 

Dr.  Joseph  Warren.  This  eminent  physician  was  naturally  a  leader,  and 
in  the  front  rank  of  all  movements  for  opposing  British  aggression,  and  de- 
fending the  rights  of  the  colonies.  His  biography  has  so  often  been  written, 
that  it  is  familiar  to  every  house  in  the  land.  He  was  born  at  Roxbury, 
near  Boston.  Graduated  at  Harvard  in  1759.  Selecting  medicine  as  his 
profession,  he  soon  rose  to  eminence.  Love  of  country  was  a  predominant 
trait  in  his  character,  possessing  also  many  of  the  qualities  of  the  statesman 
and  leader.  He  was  twice  selected  as  orator  to  commemorate  the  Boston 
Massacre.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Prov.  Congress  of  Massachusetts,  and 
the  Council  of  Safety.  His  timely  information  prevented  the  capture  of 
the  Colonial  supplies  at  Concord  and  Lexington.  In  the  council  of  war  he 
opposed,  on  account  of  the  want  of  supplies,  the  fortifying  of  Bunker's  Hill, 
which  led  to  the  battle  in  which  he  was  killed,  aged  35.  No  name,  except 
that  of  Washington,  is  more  cherished  or  will  longer  be  retained  in  the 
hearts  of  the  American  people  than  that  of  Dr.  Warren. 

Dr.  Abraham  Watson  was  commissioned  July  5,  1775,  by  the  Prov.  Con- 
gress as  surgeon  in  Col.  Gardner's  regiment.  (Amer.  Arch.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  ii. 
p.  481.) 

Dr.  Thomas  Welsh  was  one  of  the  physicians  in  attendance  on  the  wounded 
after  the  battle  of  Bunker's  Hill.  (Frothingham's  Siege  of  Boston,  p.  194.) 

Dr.  Obediah  Williams  rendered  professional  aid  to  the  wounded  in  this 
battle  as  surgeon  in  Col.  John  Stark's  regiment.  (Toner's  Annals,  p.  93.) 

Dr.  Levi  Willard  was  commissioned  July  5th,  1775,  by  the  Mass.  Prov. 
Cong.,  as  surgeon  of  Col.  Reed's  regiment.  (Amer.  Arch.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  ii. 
p.  1481.) 


32  MEDICAL    MEN 

were  necessary  for  the  defence  of  the  colon}r,  and  particularly 
the  state  of  the  army. 

On  the  7th  July,  Dr.  Isaac  Foster  was  commissioned  sur- 
geon of  the  hospital  at  Cambridge,  and  Dr.  Isaac  Rand  as 
surgeon  at  the  hospital  at  Roxbury.  (Journ.  Prov.  Cong,  of 
Mass.,  p.  464.) 

The  habit  of  naming  military  hospitals  after  popular 
generals  obtained  then  as  during  the  late  war.1 

Misunderstandings  about  rank  among  the  officers  early 
showed  themselves  in  different  parts  of  the  army,  chiefly  on 
account  of  the  want  of  system  or  precision  in  the  regula- 
tions.2 This  was  particularly  true  of  the  medical  depart- 
ment, where  they  soon  grew  to  be  a  source  of  much  discon- 
tent, and  even  recrimination.  For  some  reason  the  rank  of 
hospital  surgeon  was  at  first  esteemed  higher  than  that  of 
regimental  surgeon,  which  order  the  latter  desired  to  reverse. 
(See  Letter  of  Dr.  John  "Warren  to  Dr.  John  Morgan,  Life 
of  John  Warren,  M.D.,  p.  98.)  The  Committee  of  Safety  of 
the  Colony  of  Massachusetts,  it  seems,  made  military  appoint- 
ments as  well  as  the  Prov.  Congress,  as  this  body  commis- 

1  John  Warren,  in  a  letter  bearing  the  date  of  Oct.  1775,  to  John  Hancock, 
says:  "There  are  four  houses  here  appropriated  to  the  purpose  of  receiving 
the  sick  and  wounded  in  Cambridge,  by  the  names  of  the  Washington,  Put- 
nam, Lee,  and  Convalescent  Hospitals,  all  of  which  contain  at  present  about 
350  patients,  being  all  of  the  sick  of  the  army  in  Cambridge,  excepting  such 
as  are  slightly,  as  to  be  attended  with  convenience  in  camp.     The  number 
is  rather  upon  the  decrease,  and  but  a  small  number  have  hitherto  died. 
Three  houses  are  improved  for  the  same  purpose  at  Roxbury ;  the  number 
of  sick  and  wounded  I  cannot  ascertain."  (Edward  Warren's  Life  of  John 

Warren,  M.D.,  p.  56.) 

2  Dr.  John  Warren  wrote  in  October  to  the  Hon.  John  Hancock,  Presi- 
dent of  Congress,  chiefly  upon  matters  relating  to  the  medical  department 
of  the  army,  and  says  :  "  AVe  cannot  obtain  information  whether  the  ap- 
pointments are  to  receive  the  sanction  of  Congress,  or  whether  the  Director 
was  invested  with  the  discretionary  power  to  make  them,  without  a  neces- 
sity of  their  being  ratified  by  any  other  authority.     The  only  person  here 
from  whom  we  could  expect  an  answer  to  our  queries  is  secluded  from  the 
whole  world,  and  no  person  is  admitted  to  an  interview  with  him" — [allud- 
ing, no  doubt,  to  Dr.  Church],  (Edicard  Warren's  Life  of  Dr.  John  War- 
ren, p.  56.) 


, 

OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  33 

sioned  Dr.  John  Warren,  July  27, 1775,  chief  surgeon  to  the 
hospital  at  Watertown  l 

Experience  had  already  demonstrated  the  need  of  a  sur- 
geon-in-ehief,  as  a  general  head  to  the  medical  department. 
The  Provincial  Congress  of  Massachusetts  had  already  dis- 
cussed the  matter,  and  was  about  to  elect  one  for  the  troops 
of  the  colony  of  Mass.,  when  General  Washington  arrived  at 
Boston,  on  the  2d  of  July,  1775,  to  whom,  with  great  deli- 
cacy, they  referred  the  whole  subject.  The  General,  on 
taking  command,  July  3d,  made  an  inspection  of  the  fortifi- 
cations and  camps,  and  shortly  after  of  the  hospitals.  The 
condition  of  the  latter  he  made  the  subject  of  a  special 
letter  to  the  Congress.2 

Although  Congress  had  on  the  15th  June,  1775,  accepted 

1  July  27,  The  Committee  of  Safety,  Watertown.    "  Whereas  this  Com- 
mittee find  the  public  hospital  in  this  town  has  been  much  neglected,  to  the 
great  injury  of  the  patients  in  said  hospital,  occasioned  by  the  want  of  some 
suitable  persons  being  placed  there  as  surgeons,  therefore  Resolved,  That 
Dr.  John  Warren  be  and  hereby  is  appointed  to  the  oversight  of  said  hos- 
pital, and  that  he  take  proper  care  of  such  provisions  being  made  as  may 
be  necessary  for  the  comfortable  support  of  the  patients  in  said  hospital, 
until  further  orders."     (Journ.  Prov.  Cong.  Mass.,  p.  578.) 

April  29, 1775,  Voted,  "  That  Dr.  Isaac  Foster  be  directed  and  empowered 
to  remove  all  the  sick  and  wounded,  whose  circumstances  will  permit  of  it, 
into  the  hospital,  and  to  supply  proper  beds  and  bedding,  clothing,  victuals, 
and  furniture,  with  every  other  article  he  shall  judge  proper  for  said  hos- 
pital, and  that  this  be  a  sufficient  order  for  him  to  draw  on  the  commissary 
for  such  articles  as  he  can  supply,  and  to  draw  upon  the  commissary  for  the 
payment  of  whatever  expenses  are  necessary  for  procuring  the  above-men- 
tioned articles."  (Journ.  of  Prov.  Cong.  Mass.,  p.  527.) 

2  "  I  have  made  inquiry  into  the  establishment  of  the  hospital,  and  find  it 
in  a  very  unsettled  .condition.     There  is  no  principal  director,  or  any  subordi- 
nation among  the  surgeons ;  of  consequence,  disputes  and  contention  have 
arisen,  and  must  continue  until  it  is  reduced  to  some  system.     I  could  wish 
it  were  immediately  taken  into  consideration,  as  the  lives  and  health  of  both 
officers  and  men  so  much  depend  upon  due  regulation  of  this  department.    I 
have  been  particularly  attentive  to  the  least  symptoms  of  the  smallpox  ;  and 
hitherto  we  have  been  so  fortunate  as  to  have  every  person  removed  so  soon 
as  not  only  to  prevent  any  communication,  but  any  alarm  or  apprehension 
it  might  give  in  the  camp.     We  shall  continue  the  utmost  vigilance  against 
this  most  dangerous  enemy." 

(Washington,  from  Camp  Cambridge,  July  21,  1775.     Amer.  Arch.,  4th 
ser.,  vol.  ii.  p.  1706.) 
3 


34  MEDICAL   MEN 

the  Colonial  armies  then  in  the  field  as  continental,  and  chose 
a  general-in-chief  to  command  all  the  forces  raised  or  to  be 
raised,  and  provided  for  the  appointment  of  generals  and 
staff-officers,  yet  no  provision  was  made  for  the  hospital 
department.  The  first  legislation  by  Congress  touching 
the  "Medical  Department,"  then  denominated  "hospital" 
service,  was  had  on  the  19th  of  July,  1775,  which  created 
a  committee  of  three  to  report  on  a  method  of  establishing 
an  hospital.1 

On  the  27th  July  a  report  was  made  to  the  Continental 
Congress  on  the  subject,  which  was  adopted  ;  this  act  gave 
authority  and  some  system  to  the  management  of  the  medical 
department.  It  was  designed  for  an  army  of  only  20,000, 
but,  as  experience  proved,  the  law  was  not  well  digested,  nor 
adapted  in  all  its  provisions  for  the  best  interests  of  a  volun- 
teer force.2  Although  this  act  gave  titles,  it  bestowed  no 
military  rank. 

1  Mr.  Lewis  of  New  York,  Mr.  Paine  of  Massachusetts,  and  Mr.  Middle- 
ton  of  South  Carolina,  were  the  committee.      (Journ.  of  Cong.,  July  19. 
1775.) 

2  Journal  of  Congress,  July  27,  1775.    Report  of  committee  for  establish- 
ing a  hospital  for  the  army.     "  That  for  the  establishment  of  an  hospital  for 
an  army  consisting  of  20,000  men,  the  following  officers  and  other  attendants 
be  appointed,  with  the  following  allowance  or  pay,  viz. :  One  director-general 
and  chief  physician,  his  pay,  per  day,  four  dollars.     Four  surgeons,  each 
ditto,  one  and  one-third  of  a  dollar.     One  apothecary,  ditto,  one  and  one- 
third  of  a  dollar.    Twenty  surgeons'  mates,  each  ditto,  two-thirds  of  a  dollar. 
One  clerk,  ditto,  two-thirds  of  a  dollar.    Two  storekeepers,  each  four  dollars 
per  month.    One  nurse  to  every  ten  sick,  one-fifteenth  of  a  dollar  per  day,  or 
two  dollars  per  month.     Labors  occasionally. 

"  The  duty  of  the  above  officers :  The  director  to  furnish  medicines,  bed- 
ding, and  all  other  necessaries,  to  pay  for  the  same,  superintend  the  whole. 
and  make  his  report  to,  and  receive  orders  from  the  Commander-in-chief. 

"  Surgeons,  apothecary,  and  mates  to  visit  and  attend  the  sick,  and  mates 
to  obey  the  orders  of  the  physicians,  surgeons,  and  apothecary.  Matron  to 
superintend  the  nurses  and  bedding,  etc.  Nurses  to  attend  the  sick,  and 
obey  the  matron's  orders.  Clerk  to  keep  accounts  for  the  director  and  store- 
keepers. Storekeeper  to  receive  and  deliver  the  bedding  and  other  neces- 
saries by  order  of  the  director.  The  congress  then  proceeded  to  the  elec- 
tion of  officers  for  the  hospital,  when  Benj.  Church  was  unanimously  elected 
to  be  director  thereof  and  physician  in  the  hospital.  Resolved :  That,  the 
appointment  of  the  four  surgeons  and  the  apothecary  be  left  to  Dr.  B. 
Church.  That  the  mates  be  appointed  by  the  surgeons  ;  that  the  number  of 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  35 

The  same  day,  "Dr.  Benjamin  Church  was  unanimously 
elected  director  of  and  physician  in  the  hospital."  This 
appointment  gave  a  head  to  the  department,  which  hitherto 
had  no  unity  of  action  or  continental  authority.  Dr.  Joseph 
Warren  could  have  had  the  position,  but,  as  it  was  understood 
that  he  preferred  the  more  arduous  duties  of  the  field,  the 
commission  of  major-general  in  the  army  was  given  to  him. 
Dr.  Church  was  a  man  of  education,  fine  address,  and  skill 
in  his  profession.  From  an  early  stage  of  the  movements 
which  led  the  colonists  to  independence,  he  was  an  ardent 
and  able  patriot.  His  name  should  be  mentioned  as,  per- 
haps, fourth  in  point  of  influence  among  the  leading  men 
of  Massachusetts,  and  would  have  been  held  in  high  esteem 
by  his  compatriots  and  by  succeeding  ages  but  for  his  own 
indiscretion.  His  administration  of  the  medical  depart- 
ment during  the  few  months  that  he  held  the  position  was 
not,  however,  marked  by  harmonious  or  successful  manage- 
ment. Misunderstandings  with  the  regimental  surgeons 
led  to  frequent  complaints  rather  than  to  improvement  of 
the  medical  department  of  the  service.1  To  a  complete  un- 

raates  do  not  exceed  twenty.  That  the  number  be  not  kept  in  constant 
pay  unless  the  sick  and  wounded  should  be  so  numerous  as  to  require  the 
attendance  of  twenty,  and  to  be  diminished  as  circumstances  will  admit ; 
for  which  purpose  the  pay  is  fixed  by  the  day  that  they  may  only  receive 
pay  for  actual  service.  That  one  clerk,  two  storekeepers,  and 'one  nurse  to 
every  ten  sick  be  appointed  by  the  director." 

1  "  Head-Quarters,  Cambridge,  Sept.  7,  1775.  (Parole,  Cambridge.) 
(Countersign,  Dorchester.)  Repeated  complaints  being  made  by  the  Regi- 
mental Surgeons,  that  they  are  not  allowed  proper  necessaries  for  the  use  of 
the  sick,  before  they  become  fit  objects  for  the  General  Hospital,  and  the 
Director  General  of  the  Hospital  complains  that,  contrary  to  the  rule  of  every 
established  Army,  these  Regimental  Hospitals  are  more  expensive  than  can 
be  conceived,  which  plainly  indicates  that  there  is  either  an  unpardonable 
abuse  on  one  side,  or  an  inexcusable  neglect  on  the  other.  And  whereas 
the  General  is  exceedingly  desirous  of  having  the  utmost  care  taken  of  the 
sick  (wherever  placed,  and  in  every  stage  of  their  disorder),  but  at  the  same 
time  is  determined  not  to  suffer  any  impositions  upon  the  publick,  he  requires 
and  orders  that  the  Brigadier-Generals,  with  the  Commanding  Officers  of 
each  Regiment  in  his  Brigade,  do  sit  as  a  Court  of  Inquiry  into  the  causes 
of  these  complaints;  and  that  they  summon  the  Director  General  of  the 
Hospital,  and  their  several  Regimental  Surgeons,  before  them,  and  have  the 


36  MEDICAL   MEN 

derstanding  of  the  Doctor's  position,  it  should  be  borne  in 
mind  that  he  had  rivals  among  the  medical  men  then  in  the 

whole  matter  fully  investigated  and  reported.  This  inquiry  to  begin  on  the 
left  of  the  line  to-morrow,  at  the  hour  of  ten,  in  General  Sullivan's  Brigade. 

"  When  a  soldier  is  so  sick  that  it  is  no  longer  safe  or  proper  for  him  to 
remain  in  camp,  he  should  be  sent  to  the  General  Hospital.  There  is  no 
need  of  Regimental  Hospitals  without  the  camp,  when  there  is  a  General 
Hospital  so  near,  and  so  well  appointed."  (American  Archives,  4th  series, 
vol.  iii.  p.  667.) 

"Headquarters,  Cambridge,  Sept.  14,  1775.  (Parole,  Roxborough.) 
(Countersign,  Salem.)  In  obedience  to  the  general  order  of  the  7th  iust., 
the  inquiry  into  the  conduct  of  Dr.  Church,  the  Director-General  of  the 
hospital,  and  the  respective  regimental  surgeons,  has  been  held  in  Gen. 
Sullivan's  brigade ;  that  being  finished,  the  General  orders  the  like  to  be 
held  forthwith  in  Gen.  Greene's  brigade."  (Amer.  Arch.,  4th  series,  vol. 
iii.  p.  769.) 

"Headquarters,  Cambridge,  Sept.  28,  1775.  (Parole,  Bedford.)  (Coun- 
tersign, Chatham.)  The  inquiry  into  the  conduct  of  Dr.  Church,  Director- 
General  of  the  hospital,  and  the  respective  regimental  surgeons,  being 
finished  in  the  four  brigades  in  and  near  Cambridge,  conformable  to  the 
general  orders  of  the  7th  inst.,  the  same  is  to  take  place  to-morrow  in  Brig.- 
Gen.  Thomas's  brigade,  and  in  Brig.-Gen.  Spencer's  brigade  on  Saturday." 
(Amer.  Arch.,  4th  series,  vol.  iii.  p.  857.) 

"  Headquarters,  Cambridge,  Sept.  30,  1775.  (Parole,  Fairfax.)  (Counter- 
sign, Goshen.)  A  court  of  inquiry,  ordered  to  sit  in  Brig.-Gen.  Spencer's 
brigade,  in  relation  to  the  dispute  between  the  director-general  of  the  hospital 
and  the  regimental  surgeons,  is,  on  account  of  the  indisposition  of  Dr. 
Church,  to  be  postponed  until  further  orders."  (Amer.  Arch.,  4th  series, 
vol.  iii.  p.  857.) 

Gen.  Washington,  Oct.  5,  1775,  in  an  official  letter  to  the  Continental 
Congress,  writes:  "  I  have  now  a  painful,  though  a  necessary  duty  to  perform, 
respecting  Dr.  Church,  Director  General  of  the  hospital.  About  a  week 
ago  Mr.  Secretary  Ward,  of  Providence,  sent  up  to  me  one  Wainwood,  an 
inhabitant  of  Newport,  with  a  letter  directed  to  Major  Cane  in  Boston  in 
(occult)  characters,  which  he  said  had  been  left  with  Wainwood  some  time 
ago,  by  a  woman  who  was  kept  by  Dr.  Church.  She  had  before  pressed 
Wainwood  to  take  her  to  Captain  Wallace,  Mr.  Dudley  the  collector,  or 
George  Rome,  which  he  declined.  She  then  gave  him  a  letter  with  a 
strict  charge  to  deliver  it  to  either  of  those  gentlemen.  He,  suspecting  some 
improper  correspondence,  kept  the  letter,  and  some  time  after  opened  it ; 
but  not  being  able  to  read  it,  laid  it  up,  where  it  remained  until  he  received 
an  obscure  letter  from  the  woman,  expressing  an  anxiety  after  the  original 
letter.  He  then  communicated  the  whole  matter  to  Mr.  Ward,  who  sent 
him  up  with  the  papers  to  me.  I  immediately  secured  the  woman,  but  for 
a  long  time  she  was  proof  against  every  threat  and  persuasion  to  discover 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  37 

service  for  his  position.  That  he  suspected  them  for  fo- 
menting discontent  is  evident  from  his  letter  to  General  Sul- 
livan of  Sept.  14, 1775.  (See  Amer.  Arch.,  4th  series,  vol.  iii. 
p.  712.) 

Able,  accomplished,  and  beloved  as  Dr.  Church  was  by 
the  leading  patriots  and  the  whole  community,  the  weak- 
ness of  human  nature  was  painfully  exemplified  in  him  by 
his  attempt  to  correspond  secretly,  by  means  of  cypher,  with 
parties  within  the  enemy's  lines,  which  being  detected,  he 
was  arrested,  tried  by  court-martial,  of  which  Gen.  Wash- 
ington was  president,  Oct.  3,  1775,  and  found  guilty  of 
"  holding  criminal  correspondence  with  the  enemy."  The 
Provincial  Congress  of  Massachusetts,  of  which  he  was  a 
member,  by  a  unanimous  vote,  expelled  him  from  their  body 
Nov.  4,  1775.  A  record  of  his  trial  and  his  answers  may  be 
seen  in  the  American  Archives,  4th  series,  vol.  iii.  p.  958. 

On  the  17th  October,  1775,  Congress  elected  Dr.  John 
Morgan  Director  General  and  Chief  Physician  in  the  Hos- 
pital, in  the  place  of  Dr.  Church.  Dr.  Morgan's  competitors 

the  author.  However,  at  length  she  was  brought  to  a  confession,  and  named 
Dr.  Church.  I  then  immediately  secured  him  and  all  his  papers.  Upon 
his  first  examination,  he  readily  acknowledged  the  letter;  said  it  was  de- 
signed for  his  brother  Fleming,  and,  when  deciphered,  would  be  found  to 
contain  nothing  criminal.  He  acknowledged  his  never  having  communi- 
cated the  correspondence  to  any  person  here  but  the  girl ;  and  made  many 
protestations  of  the  purity  of  his  intentions.  Having  found  a  person 
capable  of  deciphering  the  letter,  I,  in  the  mean  time,  had  all  his  papers 
searched,  but  found  nothing  criminal  among  them.  But  it  appeared  on 
inquiry  that  a  confidant  had  been  among  the  papers  before  my  messenger 
arrived.  I  then  called  the  general  officers  together  for  their  advice — the 
result  of  which  you  will  find  enclosed.  The  deciphered  letter  is  also  en- 
closed. The  army  and  country  are  exceedingly  irritated ;  and.  upon  a  free 
discussion  of  the  nature,  circumstances,  and  consequence  of  this  matter,  it 
has  been  unanimously  agreed  to  lay  it  before  the  honorable  Congress  for 
their  special  advice  and  direction;  at  the  same  time  suggesting  to  their 
consideration,  whether  an  alteration  of  the  twenty-eighth  article  of  war 
may  not  be  necessary."* 


*  By  the  twenty-eighth  article  of  war,  whoever  was  convicted  of  holding  corre- 
spondence with  the  enemy,  or  of  giving  intelligence,  w;is  to  suffer  such  punishment 
as  should  be  ordered  by  a  genernl  court-martial.  There  wns  no  provision  for  refer- 
ring such  cases  to  Congress  or  other  civil  authorities.  (Sparks' s  Life  and  Writings 
of  Washington,  vol.  iii.  pp.  116  and  117.) 


38  MEDICAL    MEN 

for  the  position  were  Dr.  Isaac  Foster,  surgeon  of  the  Hos- 
pital in  Cambridge,  and  Lieut.  Col.  Hand,  a  resident  of  Pa., 
and  at  the  time  a  surgeon  in  the  army.  Dr.  John  Morgan 
was  a  native  of  Pa.,  and  had  received  his  academic  degree 
from  the  College  of  Philadelphia,  and  his  doctorate  from  the 
University  of  Edinburgh. 

The  success  which  had  attended  the  medical  department 
of  the  College  of  Philadelphia  under  his  guidance  was  of 
itself  a  first-class  endorsement.  His  ahility  as  a  surgeon, 
his  character  as  a  man,  his  patriotism,  and  his  influence 
as  a  citizen  were  well  known  to  the  public.  Therefore 
no  more  fitting  appointment  of  chief  medical  officer  could 
have  been  made.  Immediately  after  his  commission  was 
issued,  he  reported  for  duty  to  Gen.  Washington  at  Cam- 
hridge.  On  his  arrival,  he  found  the  hospitals  crowded 
with  sick,  many  of  whom  ought  to  have  been  treated  in  the 
camp,  tents,  or  the  barracks  of  the  regiments.1  Reform  in 
hospital  management  was  at  once  commenced,  which  received 
the  earnest  sympathy  and  support  of  Gen.  Washington. 
Dr.  Morgan's  displacement  by  Congress  early  in  1777,  was 
from  nearly  all  quarters  pronounced  a  hasty  and  an  unde- 
served censure  upon  his  administration  of  the  medical 
department.  The  difficulties  complained  of  arose  from 
defects  in  legislation,  and  other  causes  beyond  the  control 
of  the  medical  officer.  Dr.  Morgan  on  entering  upon  his 
duties  understood  that  he  was  expected  to  make  the  neces- 
sary medical  appointments  in  the  hospital  department.  This 
authority  was  also  given  to  a  limited  extent  to  the  surgeon 
in  charge  of  the  Northern  Department,  and  to  the  surgeon  of 
the  Southern  Hospital  in  Virginia.  The  same  view,  it  would 
seem,  was  at  first  held  by  Congress,  which  on  several  occa- 
sions referred  surgeons  to  him  for  appointment.  The  practice, 
however,  excited  jealousies,  and  had  finally  to  be  discon- 
tinued, and  all  appointments  thenceforth  came  from  Con- 
gress. 

1  "  The  principal  diseases  were  autumnal  remittents,  typhoid  fever,  and 
camp  dysentery,  and,  in  consequence  of  the  universal  practise  of  inoculating 
for  the  smallpox,  a  considerable  amount  of  that  disease.  He  set  to  work  to 
introduce  more  systematic  arrangements  in  the  management  of  the  hospitals  ; 


OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  39 

The  separate  command  under  Gen'l  Schuyler  operating 
in  Canada  was  at  this  time  suffering  for  want  of  surgeons' 
medical  supplies,  and  particularly  from  inefficient  medical 
management.1 

Dr.  Samuel  Stringer,  of  Albany,  was  first  employed  by 
General  Sclmyler,  Aug.  27,  1775,  and  commissioned  by 
Congress  Sept.  14,  1775,  Director  of  the  Hospital  and  Phy- 
sician for  the  Northern  Department  of  the  Army,  and  with 
the  authority  to  appoint  a  number  of  surgeons'  mates,  not 
to  exceed  four. 

The  doctor  was  a  native  of  Maryland,  had  studied  medi- 
cine in  Philadelphia,  and  had  served  as  a  surgeon  in  the 
British  Army  in  America,  and  was  therefore  presumed  to  be 
familiar  with  the  duties  and  requirements  of  a  medical  direc- 
'tor.  On  the  25th  of  October,  1775,  he  wrote  from  Fort 
George  to  Congress,  pointing  out  the  necessities  of  the  service 
in  his  department,  and  asked  for  an  additional  number  of 
surgeons  and  surgeons'  mates.  (Amcr.  Arch.,  4th  series,  vol. 
iii.  p.  1523.) 

A  misunderstanding  of  the  powers  and  duties  of  the  medi- 
cal director  soon  arose  between  Drs.  Morgan  and  Stringer, 
so  that  Congress,  Aug.  20, 1776,  passed  the  following  among 
other  resolutions.  That  "Dr.  Morgan  was  appointed  Director 

the  wards  were  cleaned  out,  and  men  sent  back  to  their  regiments,  the  num- 
ber of  surgeons'  mates  in  hospital  reduced,  and  the  surplus  officers  trans- 
ferred to  vacancies  in  the  regiments,  and  he  subjected  the  medical  officers  to 
another  examination  and  caused  those  who  were  disqualified  to  be  dis- 
charged." (Brown's  Med.  Dept.  of  the  U.  S.  Army,  p.  11-12.) 

1  Gen.  Schuyler,  writing  to  the  Continental  Congress  under  date  of  Aug. 
6,  1775,  says  :  "  Out  of  about  five  hundred  men  that  are  here,  near  a  hun- 
dred are  sick,  and  I  have  not  any  kind  of  hospital  stores,  although  I  had 
not  forgot  to  order  them,  immediately  after  my  appointment.  The  little 
wine  I  had  for  my  own  table  I  have  delivered  to  the  regimental  surgeons. 
That  being  expended,  I  can  no  longer  bear  the  distress  of  the  sick,  and. 
impelled  by  the  feelings  of  humanity,  I  shall  take  the  liberty  immediately 
to  order  a  physician  from  Albany  (if  one  can  be  got  there,  as  I  believe 
there  may)  to  join  me,  with  such  stores  as  are  indispensably  necessary.  If 
Congress  should  approve  of  this  measure,  they  will  please  signify  what 
allowance  of  pay  will  be  made.  If  not,  I  shall  discharge  the  person,  who- 
ever he  be,  paying  him  for  the  services  he  may  have  performed."  (Amer. 
Arch.,  4th  series,  vol.  iii.  p.  48.) 


40  MEDICAL    MEN 

General  and  Physician-in-Chief  of  the  American  Hospital. 
That  Dr.  Stringer  was  appointed  Director  and  Physician  of 
the  Hospital  in  the  Northern  Department  only."1 

During  the  winter  the  continental  army  was  increased 
and  put  in  the  best  possible  condition,  and  the  fortifications 
around  Boston  were  strengthened.  The  opinion  prevailed 
that  General  Gage  would  attack  the  colonial  troops  and 
attempt  to  send  a  force  into  the  interior.  Congress,  too, 
was  active  in  inaugurating  measures  for  raising  means  and 
organizing  troops. 

The  command  in  Canada  at  this  time  seemed  very  san- 
guine of  success  and  of  having  the  people  there  unite  with 
the  other  colonies.  The  failure  of  this  scheme  has  always 
seemed  to  me  to  have  resulted  from  bad  management  rather 
than  from  any  disinclination  or  want  of  sympathy  on  the 
part  of  the  Canadians  with  the  struggle  for  colonial  inde- 
pendence. 

General  Washington  had  so  fortified  his  position  during 
the  winter,  that  the  British  could  no  longer  hold  Boston ; 
they  therefore  evacuated  it  on  Sunday  the  17th  of  March, 
1776.2 

1  Journal  of  Congress.  August  20, 1776.  "That  .every  director  of  a  hospi- 
tal possesses  the  exclusive  right  of  appointing  surgeons  and  hospital  officers 
of  all  kinds,  agreeable  to  the  resolutions  of  Congress  of  the  17th  of  July, 
in  his  own  department  unless  otherwise  directed  by  Congress.     That  Dr. 
Stringer  be  authorized  to  appoint  a  surgeon  for  the  fleet  now  fitting  out 
upon  the  lakes.     That  a  druggist  be  appointed  in   Philadelphia,  whose 
business  it  shall  be,  to  receive  and  deliver  all  medicines,  instruments,  and 
shop  furniture  for  the  benefit  of  the  United  States.     That  a  salary  of  thirty 
dollars  a  month  be  paid  to  said  druggist  for  his  labor. 

"  Congress  proceeded  to  the  election  of  a  druggist,  and,  the  ballot  being 
taken,  Dr.  Wm.  Smith  was  elected." 

2  On  the  announcement  of  this  result  General  Washington  received  con- 
gratulatory and   flattering  addresses  from    the  selectmen  of  Boston,  the 
House  of  Representatives  of  Massachusetts,  and  from  Congress,  which  body 
ordered  a  medal  to  be  struck  for  him.     Letters  of  thanks  from  all  the  colonial 
assemblies  were  sent  to  him. 

From  Sparks's  Washington,  vol.  iii.  p.  493,  we  learn  the  strength  of  the 
army  under  General  Washington  during  the  siege  of  Boston  ;  on  the  9th 
of  March,  total  strength  18,410,  sick  though  present  2445,  sick  but 
absent  330. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  41 

The  theatre  of  active  operations  for  the  remainder  of  the 
war  now  moved  southward. 

Armies  had  been  collecting  in  the  vicinity  of  New  York. 
Here  the  newly  enlisted  recruits  of  the  colonies  had  gone 
into  camp  to  be  drilled  in  the  service.  The  British  had 
other  forces  than  those  massing  at  the  mouth  of  the  Hudson 
operating  still  further  to  the  south,  with  a  view  to  dis- 
tract colonial  sentiment  and  to  conceal  from  the  Americans 
the  real  point  of  intended  attack.  Norfolk,  Va,,  having 
been  burned  by  them  on  the  1st  of  January,  1776,  a  strong 
naval  force  also  attacked  Charleston,  S.  C.,  on  the  28th  of 
June,  1776,  but  was  gallantly  repulsed. 

The  Declaration  of  Independence,  the  crowning  political 
event  of  the  age,  had  the  effect  of  consolidating  public  sen- 
timent and  creating  a  permanent  national  policy  in  America. 

The  difficulty  of  transportation  and  of  providing  supplies 
for  an  army  at  that  period  can  scarcely  be  appreciated  by  the 
present  generation,  accustomed  as  we  are  to  bridged  streams, 
good  roads,  to  steamboats  and  railroads. 

Dr.  Morgan  received  a  special  order  on  the  3d  of  April, 
1776,  for  the  removal  of  the  hospital  to  New  York.  The 
minute  details  of  this  order  show  the  great  humanity  and 
thoughtfulness  of  General  Washington,1  who  expresses  his 
full  confidence  in  the  zeal  and  ability  of  Dr.  Morgan. 

1  "  As  the  grand  Continental  army  immediately  under  the  command  of  His 
Excellency  General  Washington  will,  as  soon  as  it  is  practicable,  be  assem- 
bled at  New  York,  you  are,  with  all  convenient  speed,  to  remove  the  gen- 
eral hospital  to  that  city.  As  the  sick  in  the  different  houses  cannot  be 
removed,  but  must  be  attended  until  they  are  able  to  march,  you  will  leave 
such  surgeons,  surgeons'  mates,  apothecary,  and  attendants  under  the  direc- 
tion of *  as  are  necessary  for  the  care  of  the  sick  now  in  the  general 

hospital.  The  medicines,  stores,  bedding,  etc.,  not  immediately  wanted  in 
the  general  hospital,  should  be  loaded  in  carts  that  will  be  provided  next 
Saturday  by  the  Asst.  Quartermaster-General,  and  sent  under  the  care  of 
a  proper  officer  or  officers  of  the  hospital,  to  Norwich  in  Connecticut.  Upon 
their  arrival  there,  they  will  find  His  Excellency's  orders,  and  how  and  in 
what  manner  to  proceed  from  thence,  whether  by  land  or  water. 

"  The  medicines  ordered  upon  His  Excellency's  application  by  the  honora- 
ble the  general  court  of  this  province  to   be  taken  out  of  the  town  of 

*  Blank  to  be  filled  by  a  surgeon  selected  by  Dr.  Morgan. 


42  MEDICAL    MEN 

Dr.  Morgan  discharged  this  duty  with  promptness  and 
fidelity,  and  reports  to  General  Washington  in  a  letter  written 
from  Cambridge  April  22,  1776.  (See  Archives,  4th  series, 
vol.  v.  p.  1024.) 

The  hospitals  provided  at  New  York,  as  well  as  the  regu- 
lations for  their  management,  were  an  improvement  on  those 
hitherto  established.  Experience  was  beginning  to  yield 
fruits.  The  surgeons  and  mates  were  becoming  more  fa- 
miliar with  the  duties,  and  a  rivalry  for  promotion  began 
to  develop  itself.  But  the  jealousy  of  the  regimental  sur- 
geons and  hospital  surgeons  was  growing  more  pronounced. 

The  law  relating  to  hospitals,  passed  by  Congress  July 
17,  1776,  it  had  been  hoped  would  have  promoted  efficiency, 
allayed  prejudices,  and  inspired  confidence.1 

Boston  should  be  sent  with  the  first  of  the  hospital  stores  that  go  to  Nor- 
wich, a  careful  person  having  orders  to  take  charge  of  the  same. 

"The  fixing  and  completing  the  regimental  medicine  chests,  according  to 
your  plan  lately  proposed,  had  better  be  deferred  until  your  arrival  at  New 
York,  when  that  may  be  set  about  undor  your  inspection. 

"As  the  removing  the  general  hospital  must  be  attended  with  such  a 
variety  of  duty  and  attention,  I  must  refrain  from  giving  more  particular 
directions,  leaving  a  latitude  to  your  experience  and  knowledge  in  your 
profession  to  govern  and  direct  all  your  motions. 

"  Before  you  leave  Cambridge  it  will  be  necessary  to  see  a  proper  regi- 
mental medicine  chest  provided  and  delivered  to  each  of  the  surgeons  of 
the  four  regiments  left  in  garrison  there  under  the  immediate  command  of 
Major-General  Ward;  also  a  chest  for  Colonel  Glover's  regiment,  on  com- 
mand at  Beverly. 

"Reposing  entire  confidence  in  your  care,  diligence,  and  zeal  for  the  ser- 
vice, I  remain  satisfied  of  your  best  exertions  for  the  public  benefit. 

"Given  at  Cambridge  Headquarters,  3d  day  of  April,  1776.  George 
Washington  to  Dr.  John  Morgan."  (Amer.  Arch.,  vol.  v.,  4th  series,  p.  783.) 

1  Wednesday,  July  17,  1776,  Congress  took  into  consideration  the  report 
of  the  Committee  on  the  memorial  of  the  director-general  of  the  American 
hospital,  whereupon — 

Resolved,  That  the  number  of  hospital  surgeons  and  mates  be  increased, 
in  proportion  to  the  augmentation  of  the  army,  not  exceeding  one  surgeon 
and  five  mates  to  every  five  thousand  men,  to  be  reduced,  when  the  army 
is  reduced,  or  when  there  is  no  further  occasion  for  such  a  number. 

That  as  many  persons  be  employed  in  the  several  hospitals,  in  quality  of 
storekeepers,  stewards,  managers,  and  nurses,  as  are  necessary  for  the  service, 
for  the  time  being,  to  be  appointed  by  the  director  of  the  respective  hospitals. 

That  the.  several  regimental  chests  of  medicine  and  chirurgical  instru- 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  43 

The  battle  of  Long  Island  was  fought  on  the  27th  Aug. 
1776,  which  resulted  in  the  loss  to  the  Americans  of  nearly 
1000  men,  and  compelled  Gen.  Washington  to  retire  from 

the  city  of  New  York. 

inents  which  now  are,  or  hereafter  shall  be,  in  the  possession  of  the  regi- 
mental surgeons,  be  subject  to  the  inspection  and  inquiry  of  the  respec- 
tive directors  of  hospitals,  and  the  director-general,  and  that  the  said 
regimental  surgeons  shall,  from  time  to  time,  when  thereto  required,  render 
account  of  the  said  medicines  and  instruments  to  the  said  director,  or,  if 
there  be  no  director  in  any  particular  department,  to  the  director-general ; 
the  said  accounts  to  be  transmitted  to  the  director-general,  and  by  him  to 
this  Congress ;  and  the  medicines  and  instruments  not  used  by  any  regimental 
surgeon  to  be  returned,  when  the  regiment  is  reduced,  to  the  respective  direc- 
tors, and  an  account  thereof  by  them  rendered  to  the  director-general,  and  by 
him  to  this  Congress.  That  the  several  directors  of  hospitals,  in  the  several 
departments,  and  the  regimental  surgeons,  where  there  is  no  director,  shall 
transmit  to  the  director-general  regular  returns  of  the  number  of  surgeons' 
mates  and  other  officers  employed  under  them,  their  names  and  pay ;  also 
an  account  of  the  expenses  and  furniture  of  the  hospital  under  their  direc- 
tion ;  and  that  the  director-general  make  a  report  of  the  same  from  time 
to  time,  to  the  commander-in-chief,  and  this  Congress.  That  the  several 
regimental  and  hospital  surgeons  in  the  several  departments  make  weekly 
returns  of  the  sick  to  the  respective  directors  in  their  departments.  That 
no  regimental  surgeon  be  allowed  to  draw  up»n  the  hospital  of  his  depart- 
ment for  any  stores  except  medicines  and  instruments ;  and  that  when  any 
sick  person  shall  require  other  stores,  they  shall  be  received  into  said 
hospital  and  the  rations  of  the  said  sick  persons  be  stopped,  so  long  as  they 
are  in  the  said  hospital ;  and  that  the  directors  of  several  hospitals  report 
to  the  commissary  the  names  of  the  sick,  when  received  into  and  when  dis- 
charged from  the  hospital,  and  make  a  like  return  to  the  board  of  treasury. 
That  all  extra  expenses  for  bandages,  old  linen,  and  other  articles  necessary 
for  the  service,  incurred  by  any  regimental  surgeon,  be  paid  by  the  director 
of  that  department,  with  the  approbation  of  the  commander  thereof.  That 
no  more  medicines  belonging  to  the  continent  be  disposed  of  till  further 
order  of  Congress. 

That  the  pay  of  the  hospital  surgeons  be  increased  to  one  dollar  and  two- 
thirds  of  a  dolbar  by  the  day  ;  the  pay  of  the  hospital  mates  to  one  dollar 
by  the  day,  and  the  pay  of  hospital  apothecary  to  one  dollar  and  two-thirds 
of  a  dollar  by  the  day,  and  that  the  hospital  surgeons  and  mates  take  rank 
of  regimental  surgeons  and  mates. 

That  the  director-general  and  the  several  directors  of  hospitals  be  em- 
powered to  purchase,  with  the  approbation  of  the  commanders  of  the  respec- 
tive departments,  medicines  and  instruments  for  the  use  of  their  respective 
hospital,  and  draw  upon  the  paymaster  for  the  same,  and  make  report  of 
such  purchases  to  Congress.  (Journal  of  Conyress,  July  17,  1776.) 


44  MEDICAL   MEN 

Gen.  Charles  Lee,  in  a  letter  to  Congress  from  New  York, 
dated  Feb.  9th,  1776,  suggests  that,  in  consequence  of  the 
augmentation  of  troops  there,  a  hospital  be  established  at  that 
place  without  loss  of  time.  The  evacuation  of  Boston  by  the 
British  took  place  on  the  14th  of  March,  1776.  The  armies 
at  once  commenced  massing  around  New  York,  when,  as  a 
matter  of  course,  hospitals  were  provided,  and  the  demand 
upon  them  was  constantly  on  the  increase.  The  necessity  for 
barrack  accommodations  having  preceded  that  of  the  hospi- 
tal, the  unfinished  New  York  hospital,  at  the  recommenda- 
tion of  the  Committee  of  Safety,  was  occupied  by  the  troops 
as  quarters  (see  Amer.  Arch.,  4th  series,  vol.  v.  p.  1423). 
Queen's  College  was  also  used  as  a  barrack.  Hospitals  were 
chiefly  in  private  houses.  The  expectation  of  a  battle  in 
the  effort  to  hold  New  York  induced  the  Director-General 
to  provide  hospital  accommodations  in  excess  of  the  existing 
actual  demand.  Hence,  an  application  to  the  New  York 
Convention  was  made  by  Dr.  Morgan  in  person  for  the  as- 
signment of  houses  for  hospitals.1 

1  New  York  Convention,  13  Aug.  1776.  "  Doctor  John  Morgan,  Director 
General  of  the  Hospital,  attending,  was  admitted.  He  informed  the  Con- 
vention that  General  Washington  had  directed  him  to  have  all  the  sick 
removed  to  proper  places  out  of  such  parts  of  the  city  as  are  closely  built 
and  inhabited;  that  a  list  of  houses  had  been  handed  to  him  for  the  purpose 
by  private  persons,  but  that  as  he  is  a  stranger,  and  does  not  know  what 
particular  houses  might  be  proper  to  be  exempted,  and,  therefore,  requests 
the  directions  of  this  Convention  in  the  premises. 

"Resolved,  That  His  Excellency  General  Washington  be,  and  he  is  here- 
by, empowered  to  apply  the  following  houses,  to  wit :  Mr.  Apthorpe's,  Oliver 
Delancy's,  and  Robert  Bayard's  at  Bloomingdale ;  William  Bayard's  at 
Greenwich ;  Mr.  Watts',  near  Kepp's  Bay  ;  Robert  Murray's,  on  Incklam 
Bergh  ;  Mr.  William  McAdam's,  and  the  houses  and  buildings  occupied  by 
Mr.  Watson,  near  the  old  glass-house  ;  Nicholas  Stuyvesant's,  Peter  Stuy- 
vesant's,  Mr.  Elliot's,  Mr.  Horsemanden's,  commonly  called  Frog  Hall ; 
Widow  Leake's,  near  Kepp's  Bay,  for  the  use  of  the  general  hospital  of 
the  American  army. 

"Ordered,  That  the  General  Committee  of  the  city  of  New  York  do,  on 
application  by  Dr.  John  Morgan,  Director-General  of  the  Hospitals  of  the 
Continental  Army,  appoint  a  proper  committee  of  their  body  to  ascertain 
and  designate  to  him  such  houses  on  Nassau  Island,  to  be  by  him  used  as 
a  general  hospital,  as  he  may  from  time  to  time  have  occasion  of  for  that 
purpose."  (Amer.  Archiv.,  5th  series,  vol.  i.  p.  1499.) 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  45 

The  failure  of  the  Continental  troops  to  hold  New  York 
against  the  British  army  suddenly  and  violently  deranged 
all  previous  plans  for  hospital  accommodations  in  and  about 
the  city  of  New  York. 

At  Albany  a  hospital  was  opened  in  July,  1776,  in  a 
building  erected  for  a  hospital  during  the  French  war,  and 
which  was  capable  of  accommodating  five  hundred  patients, 
besides  quarters  for  the  officers,  store-room,  etc.  To  this  the 
sick  and  wounded  from  Crown  Point,  Ticonderoga,  and  the 
northern  army  generally  was  removed.  After  the  surrender 
of  General  Burgoyne's  army,  Albany  was  crowded  with  the 
sick  and  wounded  of  both  armies.  Thacher,  in  his  journal, 
draws  a  graphic  picture  of  the  hospitals  at  Albany.1 

1  "  August  30, 1777.  The  city  of  Albany  is  situated  on  the  west  bank  of 
the  Hudson  or  North  River.  160  miles  north  of  New  York,  and  the  river 
admits  of  sloop  navigation  between  these  two  cities.  It  consists  of  about 
three  hundred  houses,  chiefly  in  the  Gothic  style,  the  gable  ends  to  the 
street.  There  is  an  ancient  Dutch  church  of  stone,  a  Congregational 
church,  and  a  decent  edifice  called  City  Hall,  which  accommodates  occa- 
sionally their  General  Assembly  and  courts  of  justice.  The  hospital  was 
erected  during  the  last  French  war ;  it  is  situated  on  an  eminence  over- 
looking the  city.  It  is  two  stories  high,  having  a  wing  at  each  end,  and  a 
piazza  in  front  above  and  below.  It  contains  forty  wards,  capable  of  ac- 
commodating five  hundred  patients,  besides  the  rooms  appropriated  to  the 
use  of  surgeons  and  other  officers,  stores,  etc."  (Tkacher's  Journal,  p.  91.) 

October  24th  Dr.  Thacher  writes  :  "  This  hospital  is  now  crowded  with 
officers  and  soldiers  from  the  field  of  battle ;  those  belonging  to  the  British 
and  Hessian  troops  are  accommodated  in  the  same  hospital  with  our  own 
men,  and  receive  equal  care  and  attention.  The  foreigners  are  under  the 
care  and  management  of  their  own  surgeons.  I  have  been  present  at  some  of 
their  capital  operations,  and  remarked,  that  the  English  surgeons  perform 
with  skill  and  dexterity ;  but  the  Germans,  with  a  few  exceptions,  do  no 
credit  to  their  profession.  Some  of  them  are  the  most  uncouth  and  clumsy 
operators  I  ever  witnessed,  and  appear  to  be  destitute  of  all  sympathy  and 
tenderness  towards  the  suffering  patient.  Not  less  than  one  thousand 
wounded  and  sick  are  now  in  this  city.  The  Dutch  church  and  several  pri- 
vate houses  are  occupied  as  hospitals.  We  have  about  thirty  surgeons  and 
mates,  and  all  are  constantly  employed.  I  am  obliged  to  devote  the  whole 
of  my  time,  from  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  to  a  late  hour  in  the  evening, 
to  the  care  of  our  patients.  Some  of  our  soldiers'  wounds,  which  had  been 
neglected  while  on  their  way  here  from  the  field  of  battle,  being  covered 
with  putrefied  blood  for  several  days,  were  found  on  the  first  dressing  to  be 
filled  with  maggots.  It  was  not  difficult,  however,  to  destroy  these  vermin 


46  MEDICAL   MEN 

The  fatigue  and  suffering  of  the  troops  in  the  battles 
which  preceded  the  crossing  of  the  American  army  into 
New  Jersey,  told  severely  upon  the  health  of  the  soldiers ; 
so  that  the  Director-General  and  hospital  surgeons  were 
taxed  to  their  utmost  to  provide  cover  and  hospital  supplies. 
Large  hospitals  were  established  during  the  fall  and  winter 
at  Peekskill,  Fishkill,  and  other  places  in  New  York  State.1 

The  vigilance  and  efforts  of  General  Heath  to  provide 
comfortable  quarters  for  the  soldiers,  both  sick  and  well, 
under  his  command,  may  be  taken  as  a  fair  sample  of  the 
spirit  with  which  the  commanders  executed  their  duties. 
The  literature  of  the  period  is  full  of  their  appeals  to  Con- 
gress and  entreaties  to  quartermasters,  hospital  directors, 

by  the  application  of  the  tincture  of  myrrh.  Here  is  a  fine  field  for  pro- 
fessional improvement.  Amputating  limbs,  trepanning  fractured  skulls, 
and  dressing  the  most- formidable  wounds,  have  familiarized  my  mind  to 
scenes  of  woe.  A  military  hospital  is  peculiarly  calculated  to  afford  exam- 
ples for  profitable  contemplation,  and  to  interest  our  sympathy  and  com- 
miseration. If  I  turn  from  beholding  mutilated  bodies,  mangled  limbs,  and 
bleeding,  incurable  wounds,  a  spectacle  no  less  revolting  is  presented  of 
miserable  objects  languishing  under  afflicting  diseases  of  every  description 
— here  are  those  in  a  mournful  state  of  despair,  exhibiting  the  awful  har- 
bingers of  approaching  dissolution — there  are  those  with  emaciated  bodies 
and  ghastly  visage,  who  begin  to  triumph  over  grim  disease,  and  just  lift 
their  feeble  heads  from  the  pillow  of  sorrow."  ( Thacher's  Military  Journal 
p.  112.) 

1  "Peekskill,  November  19,  1776.  Sir:  There  are  at  this  place  three 
brigades  of  troops,  besides  the  garrisons  of  the  forts  Montgomery  and  Con- 
stitution, making  in  the  whole  upwards  of  five  thousand  men,  and  neither 
general  hospital  nor  surgeon  belonging  to  the  general  hospital  at  the  post. 
The  morning  that  His  Excellency  General  Washington  left  this  place  I 
mentioned  to  him  the  case  of  the  sick.  His  Excellency  replied  that  he 
intended  to  have  mentioned  the  sick,  but  that  it  had  slipped  his  memory, 
and  that  I  must  apply  to  you. 

"  The  daily  complaints  from  the  Colonels  of  the  several  regiments  in  the 
division,  of  the  sufferings  and  distress  of  their  sick,  render  it  my  indispensa- 
ble duty  to  apply  to  you  for  assistance  and  relief,  which  I  desire  you  would 
afford  immediately,  as  the  neglect  of  the  sick  will  prove  very  prejudicial  to 
the  enlistment  of  a  new  army. 

"  I  am,  dear  sir,  yours  affectionately, 

"  DOCTOR  MORGAN.  "W".  HEATH." 

(Amer.  Arch.,  5th  series,  vol.  iii.  p.  769.) 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  47 

etc.,  to  discharge  their  trust  with  dispatch  and  fidelity.    The 
response  of  Dr.  Morgan  to  Gen.  Heath1  shows  how  carefully 

1  Peekskill,  November  20th,  1776.  To  General  Heath.  "  Doctor  Mor- 
gan proposes  to  General  Heath  the  quarters  be  fitted  up  immediately  for  a 
general  hospital  for  the  reception  of  the  sick  at  Peekskill.  They  ought  to 
be  floored  above  so  as  to  make  two  stories  each,  and  to  have  a  stack  of 
chimneys  carried  up  in  the  middle. 

"  If  convenient  quarters  are  not  provided  for  the  sick,  and  they  cannot  be 
obtained  unless  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  division  gives  orders  and 
enforces  them  effectually,  every  attempt  to  establish  an  hospital  will  prove 
ineffectual. 

"  To  call  for  the  establishment  of  a  general  hospital  for  surgeons  to  attend, 
and  take  care  of  the  sick,  and  not  to  strengthen  their  hands,  so  as  to  enable 
them  to  do  their  duty,  is  the  certain  way  of  plunging  them  into  insuperable 
difficulties,  which  must  bring  reflections  on  them,  which  it  is  not  in  their 
power  to  wipe  off,  but  by  showing  the  defect  lies  not  at  their  door. 

"  Wherever  a  general  hospital  is  established,  it  is  necessary  that  the  com- 
missary in  that  department  furnish  the  necessary  hospital  stores,  in  sufficient 
abundance,  so  that  the  surgeon  on  drawing  for  them  be  immediately  pro- 
vided with  flour  or  bread,  fresh  meat,  salt,  vinegar,  rum,  soap,  candles, 
vegetables,  Indian  meal,  oatmeal,  barley,  rice,  chocolate,  coffee,  tea,  sugar, 
wine,  butter,  etc.  It  is  also  necessary,  where  other  attendants  cannot  be 
had,  as  nurses,  waiters,  laborers,  and  cooks,  out  of  the  army,  that  fatigue 
men  be  appointed  by  the  commander  in  sufficient  number. 

"  It  is  further  required  that  bed-bunks  be  made,  and  straw  be  always  in 
readiness,  for  the  sick,  and  a  carpenter  or  two  be  employed  solely  in  the 
business  of  the  general  hospital  in  making  coffins,  tables,  and  utensils  of 
various  kinds. 

"  From  the  Quartermaster's  store  should  be  provided  blankets,  bed-sacks, 
platters,  kettles,  spoons,  knives  and  forks,  and  other  articles  of  the  like 
kind.  Besides  these  several  requisites,  which  depend  not  on  the  director-gen- 
eral or  superintendent  of  an  hospital,  it  is  necessary  for  the  better  manage- 
ment of  the  hospital,  that  all  the  regimental  surgeons  and  mates  be  kept 
to  their  posts,  attend  their  regiment,  and  make  weekly  returns  of  their  sick 
to  the  director-general  when  present,  and  in  his  absence  to  the  surgeon 
of  the  general  hospital,  that  provision  be  always  made  in  time  for  the 
sick ;  to  do  which  it  is  necessary  that  the  state  of  the  sick  be  constantly 
known. 

"It  is  further  necessary  that  all  the  surgeons  of  regiments  be  informed 
that  the  Congress  have  resolved,  whenever  the  sick  require  any  further  pro- 
vision than  their  rations,  they  are  to  be  reported  immediately  to  the  gene- 
ral hospital  and  received  into  it,  and  that  no  issuing  store  will  be  opened  to 
supply  the  sick  remaining  under  their  care  with  provisions  from  the  general 
hospital. 

"  The  weekly  returns  of  the  regimental  surgeons  to  be  in  the  form  already 


48  MEDICAL   MEN 

he  had  considered  the  subject  of  his  duties  and  the  prompt- 
ness with  which  he  replied  to  the  general's  letter. 

It  is  quite  evident,  from  the  action  of  the  New  York  Com- 
mittee of  Safety  Dec.  6th,  1776,  that  General  Heath  had  also 
applied  to  that  body  for  assistance  to  render  the  condition 
of  the  soldiers  under  his  command  at  Peekskill  and  at  other 
points  on  the  Hudson  River  as  comfortable  as  possible  for 
the  winter.1 

given  out  to  them,  and  if  any  surgeon  neglect  being  punctual  in  giving  in 
his  weekly  returns,  he  should  be  reported  to  the  commanding  officer.  That  it 
may  be  known  who  are  deficient  therein,  the  director-general  or  surgeon  of 
the  general  hospital,  should  be  furnished  by  order  of  the  commandant  with 
a  list  of  the  regiments,  and  the  names  of  the  surgeons  in  that  division. 

"  With  every  sick  the  regimental  surgeon  sends  to  the  general  hospital, 
there  should  be  a  report,  joined  with  the  application  for  admission,  addressed 
to  the  surgeon  of  the  general  hospital,  signed  by  the  surgeon  or  mate  of  the 
regiment  and  by  some  commissioned  officer  belonging  to  the  company  or 
regiment,  specifying  when  the  sick  was  taken  ill,  and  what  was  done ;  spe- 
cifying, also,  what  blankets,  clothes,  etc.,  are  sent  with  the  sick.  When  this 
regularity  is  observed,  it  will  be  seen  and  known  who  do  their  duty,  and  who 
not,  so  that  when  complaints  are  made  of  the  sick  being  neglected,  it  may  be 
known  at  whose  floor  the  fault  lies. 

"  Agreeable  to  General  Heath's  desire,  these  things  are  pointed  out,  and 
a  surgeon  with  three  or  four  mates  shall  be  ordered  to  Peekskill  to  improve 
and  take  care  of  the  general  hospital. 

"JOHN  MORGAN." 
(Amer.  Arch.,  5th  series,  vol.  iii.  p.  781.) 

1  "  Convention  of  New  York,  Dec.  6, 1776.  Communicated  to  Gen.  Heath. 
Ordered,  That  the  committee  to  whom  was  referred  the  application  of  Doctor 
Hunlock  Woodruff,  for  a  place  of  cover  for  two  hundred  and  thirty  troops 
belonging  to  General  McDougalPs  brigade,  under  the  command  of  Captain 
Wildie,  now  lying  at  Peekskill,  and  also  a  letter  received  from  Gen.  Heath 
of  the  3d  inst.,  reported  the  following  resolve  : — 

"  Resolved,  That  the  sick  soldiers  of  General  McDougall's  Brigade,  now 
lying  at  Peekskill,  be  permitted  to  occupy  such  parts  of  the  Academy  at 
Fishkill  as  are  tenantable  for  an  hospital,  until  they  can  be  otherwise  pro- 
vided for. 

"  The  sick  of  Colonel  Bradley's  regiment  we  had  caused  to  be  taken  care 
of  by  a  physician  of  this  place  until  Doctor  McKnight  arrived ;  and  be 
assured,  sir,  the  non-attendance  of  a  doctor  or  surgeon  was  not  ascribed  to 
any  inattention  of  ours.  Such  parts  of  the  unfinished  Academy  as  are  in  any 
wise  tenant  able  at  this  season  of  the  year,  were  lately  assigned  for  a  dis- 
tressed party  of  sick  from  General  McDougall's  Brigade  ;  but  we  are  informed 
by  William  Dure,  Esq.,  under  whose  direction  the  barracks  between  Peeks- 
kill  and  this  place  are,  that  those  in  the  north  entrance  of  the  Highlands, 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  49 

The  British  pressed  the  American  Army  and  forced  the 
battle  of  Harlem  Plains,  which  was  fought  on  the  16th  Sept., 
and  on  the  28th  the  battle  of  White  Plains,  the  last  two 
without  any  special  results  on  either  side.  But  the  loss  of 
Fort  Washington  on  the  16th  of  Nov.,  and  of  Fort  Lee  on  the 
18th,  disheartened  and  greatly  reduced  the  active  strength 
of  the  army,  which  retreated  into  New  Jersey,  and  there 
went  into  winter-quarters. 

We  have  already  noted  the  provision  made  for  the  sick 
by  the  Colonies  of  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut.  All  the 
others  were  equally  solicitous  on  the  subject,  but  the  records 
of  them  on  this  point  are  either  not  so  well  preserved  or 
are  more  difficult  of  access. 

The  southern  people  too,  at  an  early  period  of  the  struggle, 
made  liberal  provision  to  establish  hospitals  and  to  procure 
competent  surgeons  and  surgeons'  mates  for  the  army.  Prior 
to  the  battle  of  Bunker's  Hill,  or  the  declaration  of  Ameri- 
can independence,  Virginia  statesmen  had  discussed  in  con- 
vention the  subject  of  establishing  several  hospitals  at  conve- 
nient points  for  the  care  and  treatment  of  the  sick  and 
wounded  soldiers,  and  had  brought  the  subject  to  the 
attention  of  the  continental  convention.1  The  result  of 

and  also  that  near  Holt's  intended  to  contain  upwards  of  one  thousand  men, 
are  nearly  completed. 

"  Those  who  are  sick  of  your  division  may  now  be  made  comfortable  ;  and 
if  the  building  of  any  other  hospital  shall  be  necessary,  you  may  be  assured 
the  convention  will  be  ready  to  afford  every  necessary  aid  in  their  power 
for  that  purpose."  (Amer.  Arch.,  5th  series,  vol.  iii.  p.  361.) 

1  May,  177G.  The  Continental  Congress  Resolved,  "  That  a  Continental 
Hospital  be  established  in  Virginia  and  a  director  to  the  same  immediately 
appointed  by  Congress. 

"  The  Congress  then  proceeded  to  the  election  of  a  director  of  the  hospital 
in  Virginia  ;  and  the  ballots  being  taken,  William  Rickman  was  elected. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  hospital  in  Virginia  be  on  the  same  establishment, 
and  the  pay  of  the  officers  thereof  the  same,  as  the  hospital  established  in 
the  Eastern  Department. 

"  That  two  surgeons,  one  apothecary,  six  mates,  one  clerk,  one  store- 
keeper, and  one  nurse  to  every  ten  sick,  with  laborers  occasionally,  when 
necessary,  be  allowed  to  the  hospital  in  Virginia. 

"  That  the  director  be  empowered  to  nominate  the  surgeons  and  apothecary. 

"  That  the  mates  be  appointed  by  the  surgeons,  and  that  the  number  of 

4 


50  MEDICAL    MEN 

this  deliberation  was  the  establishment  at  Williamsburgh, 
Ya.,  of  a  large  and  well-appointed  hospital,  which  was  main- 
tained to  the  close  of  the  war.  Virginia's  compensation 
to  the  medical  gentlemen,  both  in  the  matter  of  monthly 
pay  and  bounty,  was  considerate  and  liberal.1 

the  mates  be  diminished  as  circumstances  will  admit ;  for  which  reason  the 
pay  is  fixed  by  the  day,  that  they  may  only  receive  pay  for  actual  service." 
(Amer.  Arch.,  4th  series,  vol.  vi.  p.  1673.) 

1  On  the  20th  of  May,  1776,  the  President  laid  before  the  Virginia  Con- 
vention a  letter  from  Dr.  Skinner  to  Brigadier-General  Lewis,  "  recommend- 
ing a  further  provision  to  be  made  for  the  surgeons  and  surgeons'  mates," 
which  letter  was  referred  to  the  Committee  on  the  State  of  the  Colony. 
"  Mr.  Gary  reported  that  the  committee  had  come  to  the  following  resolu- 
tion, which  was  read  and  delivered  to  the  clerk's  table,  where  they  are  twice 
again  read  and  agreed  to  : — 

"  It  appearing  to  the  committee  that  proper  surgeons  and  mates  cannot 
be  engaged  for  the  Continental  troops  in  this  Colony  at  the  pay  allowed  by 
the  General  Congress,  and  that  two  mates  are  necessary  for  each  regiment : 

"  Resolved,  therefore,  That  the  expense  of  one  mate  to  each  regiment, 
and  the  additional  pay  of  the  surgeon  and  mate,  so  as  to  bring  the  Congress 
allowance  to  that  established  by  this  convention,  ought  at  present  to  be 
defrayed  by  this  colony."  (Amer.  Arch.,  4th  series,  vol.  vi.  p.  1531.) 

On  the  21st  of  May,  1776,  in  the  Virginia  Convention,  on  motion,  it  was 
ordered  that  Mr.  Starke,  Mr.  Johnson,  Mr.  Henry,  Mr.  Blair,  Mr.  Gilmer, 
Mr.  Randolph,  and  Mr.  Travis,  be  a  committee  to  inquire  for  a  proper  hos- 
pital for  the  reception  and  accommodation  of  sick  and  wounded  soldiers." 
(Amer.  Arch.,  4th  series,  vol.  vi.  p.  1533.) 

June  15,  1776.  "  Mr.  Starke,  from  the  committee  appointed  to  inquire 
for  a  proper  hospital  for  the  reception  and  accommodation  of  the  sick  and 
wounded  soldiers,  reported,  that  the  committee  had  accordingly  made  the 
said  inquiry,  and  that  at  the  instance  of  the  committee,  Dr.  William  Rick- 
man,  lately  appointed  by  the  General  Congress  to  be  physician  and  director- 
general  to  the  Continental  Hospital,  accompanied  them  to  the  college, 
palace,  and  other  places,  and  he  advised  that,  though  the  college  has  room 
enough  for  the  purpose  of  an  hospital,  yet,  by  reason  of  the  many  partitions 
therein,  it  will  not  admit  of  that  thorough  passage  of  air  so  absolutely  neces- 
sary for  invalids  ;  that  the  college  has,  at  a  very  considerable  expense,  been 
lately  repaired,  whitewashed,  and  thoroughly  cleaned,  for  the  reception  of 
scholars,  who  are  expected  to  return  to  their  studies  on  Monday  next,  at 
which  time  the  vacation  ceases ;  that  there  are  a  large  and  valuable  library 
and  apparatus  in  it,  which  might  probably  be  damaged  in  the  removal, 
perhaps  totally  ruined  ;  that  several  young  gentlemen  in  the  country  have 
been  accustomed  to  receive  maintenance  and  education  there  as  scholars 
on  certain  foundations  established  by  different  benefactors.  That  it  also 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  51 

Congress,  Dec.  8,  1775,  had  resolved,  that  companies  for 
two  battalions  be  raised  in  New  Jersey,  and  that  a  surgeon 
be  allowed  for  each  battalion.  Dr.  Wm.  Barnet,  Jr.,  was 
elected  surgeon  to  Lord  Stirling's,  the  first  battalion  raised 
in  New  Jersey.  Separate  commands  were  multiplying,  and, 
therefore,  the  necessity  for  separate  and  defined  districts, 
with  medical  directors  of  good  executive  ability  for  each. 
Medical  appointments  by  Congress  at  this  period  had  prob- 
ably this  policy  in  view.1 

The  exigencies  of  the  war  caused  the  collection  of  a  very 
considerable  militia,  as  well  as  Continental  military  force,  in 

appeared  from  examination  of  the  palace  and  the  opinion  of  Dr.  Rickman, 
that  it  is  adapted  in  all  respects,  without  any  alterations  of  consequence, 
for  an  hospital,  whether  considered  as  to  size,  situation,  plan,  or  necessary 
offices ;  that,  added  to  this,  there  stands  a  public  building  in  the  centre  of 
the  park,  which  may  be  taken  as  an  appendage  to  the  hospital,  whither 
persons  laboring  under  epidemical  or  infectious  disorders  may  be  removed, 
and  the  diseases  thereby  prevented  from  spreading. 

"  That  the  following  private  houses  within  the  city  of  Williamsburgh  may 
be  purchased,  to  wit :  Dr.  James  Carter's,  which  is  but  small,  yet  has  many 
convenient  buildings,  which  might  be  applied  also  to  the  purpose  of  hospitals, 
and  the  whole  may  be  procured  for  the  sum  of  £1000  ;  Mr.  James  Hubard's, 
which  does  not  contain  many  rooms,  but  they  are  commodious  and  airy,  and 
may  be  had  for  the  sum  of  about  £1200,  which,  with  the  repairs  lately  made, 
it  cost  him,  with  the  privilege  reserved  him  of  repurchasing  on  the  same 
terms,  and  in  the  same  condition,  if  at  the  end  of  the  present  trouble  the 
publick  should  be  inclined  to  sell  it;  also  Mr.  John  Hatley  Norton's,  which 
is  airy  and  pleasant,  but  the  outhouses  are  few  in  number,  and  not  in  good 
repair;  this  may  be  had  for  £1300:  and  that  it  appears  to  them  that  no 
one  of  the  three  private  houses  above  mentioned  would  singly  be  sufficient 
for  the  said  purpose,  though  all  of  them  together  might ;  but  adopting  that 
method  necessarily  enhance  the  expense,  as  an  additional  number  of  sur- 
geons, surgeons'  mates,  nurses,  matrons,  and  other  assistants  would  be 
unavoidable. 

"And  that  they  had  come  to  the  following  resolution  thereupon,  which  he 
read  in  his  place,  and  afterwards  delivered  in  at  the  clerk's  table,  where  the 
same  was  again  twice  read  and  agreed  to. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  palace,  and  as  many  of  the  outbuildings  as  may  be 
necessary  for  the  purpose,  be  appropriated  for  a  publick  hospital,  and  that 
the  physician  and  director-general  be  informed  thereof."  (Amer.  Arch.,  4th 
series,  vol.  vi.  p.  1573.) 

1  See  Journ.  of  Congress,  Feb.  13  and  26,  for  further  details.  The  depart- 
ments were  known  at  this  time  as  Eastern,  Northern,  Canadian,  Middle,  and 
Southern. 


52  MEDICAL   MEN 

and  around  Philadelphia  during  the  winter  of  1776-77. 
With  this  concourse  of  troops,  of  course,  cume  a  demand  for 
increased  hospital  accommodations.  The  Continental  Con- 
gress passed  a  resolution  looking  to  obtaining  the  use  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Hospital  for  the  sick  troops  of  the  Continental 
army.  The  council  of  safety  co-operated  actively  in  the 
measure,  and  appointed  a  committee  to  confer  with  the 
Board  of  War  and  to  complete  all  needed  arrangements  for 
the  accommodation  and  proper  care  of  the  sick  and  wounded. 
Dr.  Thomas  Bond,  Jr.,  had  charge  of  a  hospital  at  Elizabeth- 
town,  which  he  was  directed  to  move  toward  Philadelphia, 
which  he  did  by  placing  his  patients  on  a  boat,  no  destination 
being  at  first  determined  upon.  But  the  same  day,  writing 
to  his  father,  Dr.  Thomas  Bond,  he  says,  "  I  have  leave  to 
carry  my  sick  where  1  think  proper,  and  have  therefore 
determined  to  proceed  with  them  to  Philadelphia.  I  there- 
fore request  you  will  direct  the  bearer,  John  Long,  in  my 
employ,  to  wait  upon  General  Mifflin  and  request  him  to  issue 
orders  for  the  reception  of  forty  sick,  in  some  convenient 
place  near  the  town,  if  to  be  had.  I  should  be  obliged  to 
you  to  consult  General  Mifflin  upon  a  proposal  I  have  made 
of  instituting  hospitals  for  the  sick  in  Darby,  Chester, 
Marcus  Hook,  Wilmington,  and  New  Castle.  I  think  the 
water  carriage  from  Trenton  to  these  places  would  save 
much  carting,  and  this  plan  much  better  than  one  now 
proposed  of  sending  the  sick  to  East  Town,  Bethlehem, 
Nazareth,  Reading,  etc."  (Pa.  Archives,  vol.  v.  p.  79.) 

The  sympathy  of  the  leading  members  of  the  profession 
was  actively  enlisted,  not  only  for  the  cause  of  the  colonies, 
but  to  the  effort  in  lending  their  advice  and  aid  for  the  relief 
of  the  sick  and  wounded  soldiers.1 


1  "To  Council  of  Safety,  Dec.  4,  1776.  Gentlemen:  In  ray  son's  letter, 
laid  before  you,  he  requests  provision  may  be  made  for  40  sick  persons  who 
are  to  be  brought  from  his  hospital  to  this  city,  and  desires  it  may  be  con- 
sidered whether  it  would  not  be  most  expedient  for  all  the  military  hospitals 
to  be  fixed  as  near  as  po.-sible  to  water  carriage. 

"  With  respect  to  the  immediate  provision  he  mentions  for  the  sick,  it 
appears  to  me  that  the  Pennsylvania  Battering  house  and  Provincial  Hos- 
pitals may  accommodate  them,  and  many  more,  without  the  least  infringe- 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  53 

Besides  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital,  the  poor-house,  some 
stores,  and  many  private  houses  were  for  a  time  used  as 
hospitals.  But,  very  properly,  it  was  the  desire  of  the 

merits  on  the  original  design  of  those  institutions,  by  only  removing  and 
excluding  at  this  time  such  sick  as  do  not  absolutely  require  the  particular 
conveniences  of  those  houses.  With  respect  to  water  portage,  military 
hospitals  particularly  require  it,  because  the  joltings  of  horse  carriages 
would  greatly  aggravate  the  violences  of  fractured  and  splintered  bones 
from  gunshot  wounds. 

"  A  very  short  reflection  on  the  nature  and  use  of  military  hospitals,  at 
this  time,  must  convince  you  that  a  strict  attention  to  them  is  of  the 
utmost  importance  to  the  distressed  and  the  community.  I  therefore  take 
the  liberty  of  advising  that  some  able,  judicious,  and  experienced  person  or 
persons  may,  in  the  character  of  physician  and  surgeon  to  the  Pennsylvania 
troops  and  Director-General  of  the  military  hospitals  in  this  State,  be 
empowered  to  fix  on  proper  places  for  opening  and  supplying  them  with 
assistants,  nurses,  and  all  other  conveniences  which  art  or  humanity  requires 
for  their  relief  and  support.  That  the  Physicians-General  and  their  mates 
shall  be  obliged  to  attend  all  such  poor  wounded,  or  sick  soldiers,  as  shall 
choose  to  remain  in  their  own  habitations.  That  the  physicians  shall  give 
particular  directions  for  all  the  medicines  and  instruments  in  the  hospitals 
and  surgeons'  chests,  and  make  out  general  forms  of  prescription,  agreeable 
to  the  custom  of  the  best  regulated  armies  in  Europe,  which  would  not  only 
be  a  real  advantage  to  the  sick  but  a  great  saving  of  expense  at  this  time, 
when  foreign  drugs  are  scarce  and  dear.  And  lastly,  that  the  physicians 
shall  be  particularly  enjoined  to  take  every  necessary  precaution  against 
the  spreading  of  contagious  diseases  amongst  the  inhabitants. 

"When  I  see  so  many  of  friends  and  valuable  fellow-citizens  exposing 
themselves  to  the  horrors  of  war,  I  think  it  my  indispensable  duty  to  make 
them  a  tender  of  the  best  services  in  my  power,  upon  condition  that  I  can 
have  the  joint  assistance  of  my  son  in  the  great  undertaking,  who,  I  am 
certain,  you  will  find  on  inquiry,  has  already  distinguished  himself  in  this 
department.  As  I  am  told  many  of  the  sick  are  near  the  city,  the  sooner 
the  matter  is  concluded  on  the  better.  I  will  do  myself  the  pleasure  to 
wait  on  you  soon,  and  I  am,  gentlemen,  your  most  respectful,  humble 
servant.  TH.  BOND." 

(Pa.  Archives,  vol.  v.  pp.  89,  90.) 

Council  of  Safety  of  Pa.,  Dec.  5,  1776.  "  Resolved,  That  the  Pennsylva- 
nia Hospital  be  taken  up  and  employed  for  the  sick  troops  of  the  Conti- 
nental Army,  in  compliance  with  a  request  of  Congress,  and  that  the  said 
troops  be  provided  with  medicine  and  every  necessary." 

The  same  day  it  was  "  Resolved,  That  Mr.  Christopher  Marshall  be  em- 
ployed to  assist  the  physicians  in  providing  for  the  sick,  and  that  he  have 
authority  to  employ  proper  persons  to  assist  him  in  procuring  houses  for 


54  MEDICAL   MEN 

medical  directors  to  have  the  hospitals  located  at  some 
distance  from,  or  at  least  outside,  the  city.  The  largest  were 
located  at  Bethlehem,1  Reading,  Manheim,  Lancaster,  and 
Bristol. 

them  to  lodge,  and  such  other  necessaries  as"  may  alleviate  their  distresses 
and  render  them  comfortable."  (Pa.  Colon.  Record,  vol.  xi.  p.  34.) 

Dec.  6,  1776,  the  Council  of  Safety  of  Pa.  "  Resolved,  That  Major  Isaac 
Milchor.  Mr.  Thomas  Smith,  and  Captain  William  Davis  be  authorized  and 
empowered,  with  Mr.  Christopher  Marshall  and  Mr.  Thomas  Casdrop,  to 
provide  and  take  care  of  the  sick  troops  daily  coming  to  this  city  from 
camp,  and  that  they  make  use  of  any  empty  houses  and  stores  and  other 
buildings  in  this  city  and  the  Liberties  thereof,  which  they  may  think  con- 
venient for  lodging  such  troops  ;  and  that  they  take  to  their  assistance,  in 
performing  the  said  trust,  such  discreet  persons  as  to  them  shall  seem  meet, 
and  this  board  will  defray  every  expense  thereof."  (Pa.  Colon.  Record, 
vol.  xi.  pp.  35,  36.) 

1  THE  HOSPITALS  AT  BETHLEHEM,  PA. 

"In  these  days,  1776,  September  2-6,  parties  of  militia,  on  their  return 
from  New  York,  passed,  bringing  the  intelligence  that  a  battalion  from 
this  county  had  suffered  severely  at  the  engagement  with  the  British  on 
Long  Island,  on  the  27th  of  August  last,  having  left  most  of  its  men  either 
dead  or  wounded. 

"  It  will  be  remembered  that  after  the  repulse  at  Gowanus,  or  Brooklyn 
Heights,  "Washington  withdrew  his  troops  to  New  York,  and  soon  after 
evacuated  that  city,  which  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  British.  This  loss 
was  followed  by  those  of  Fort  Washington  and  Fort  Lee  in  quick  succes- 
sion, late  in  the  month  of  November.  Washington  having  crossed  the 
North  River,  now  continued  his  retreat  to  Newark,  New  Brunswick, 
Princeton,  and  Trenton,  and  thence  crossed  to  the  Pennsylvania  side  of  the 
Delaware,  closely  pursued  by  Cornwallis.  General  Lee's  division  of  three 
thousand  men,  under  command  of  General  Sullivan,  reached  Bethlehem  on 
the  17th  of  December,  and  encamped  for  the  night  on  the  south  bank  of 
the  Lehigh. 

"At  this  crisis  in  the  affairs  of  the  Continental  Army,  the  removal  of 
the  hospital,  in  which  two  thousand  sick  and  wounded  were  at  this  time 
lying,  from  Morristown  to  some  point  in  the  interior,  was  a  measure  which 
allowed  of  no  delay,  and  on  the  3d  of  December,  the  following  announce- 
ment reached  Bethlehem  by  express  : — 

"'According  to  His  Excellency  General  Washington's  order,  the  General 
Hospital  of  the  army  is  removed  to  Bethlehem,  and  you  will  do  the  greatest 
act  of  humanity  by  immediately  providing  proper  buildings  for  its  reception. 

JOHN  WARREN, 
General  Surg.  to  the  Continental  Hosp.' 

"In  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  Drs.  Warren  and  Shippen  arrived, 
when  arrangements  were  made  for  the  reception  of  250  of  the  hospital  sick 


OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  55 

This  was  a  season  of  great  discontent,  and  complaints  felt 
to  be  chargeable  to  the  general  management  of  the  war, 
which  it  was  not  prudent  to  criticize,  could  with  impunity 
be  indulged  in  against  the  hospital,  so  that  it  became  popu- 

in  the  '  Brethren's  House.'  The  next  morning  they  entered  the  settlement, 
a  pitiable  spectacle  to  behold,  totally  destitute,  gaunt  and  famishing ;  and, 
says  the  diary,  had  we  not  supplied  them  with  food,  many  of  them  would  have 
perished  ;  for  three  days  elapsed  before  the  arrival  of  the  supplies  intended 
for  their  use.  Before  the  close  of  the  winter,  110  of  their  number  were 
released  from  suffering  and  distress  by  the  hand  of  death.  The  first  occu- 
pation of  the  Brethren's  House  by  the  hospital  sick  continued  till  the  close 
of  March,  1777,  on  the  29th  day  of  that  month,  the  remaining  thirty  con- 
valescent soldiers  setting  out  for  the  army. 

"  1777,  Jan.  8,  Dr.  Morgan  and  surgeons  received  orders  to  repair  to  the 
army  in  New  England. 

"  In  the  evening  of  the  19th  of  September  we  received  (through  Dr. 
Jackson)  the  following  notice  from  the  Director-General  of  the  Continental 
Hospital. 

"  '  GENTLEMEN  :  It  gives  me  great  pain  to  be  obliged,  by  order  of  Congress, 
to  send  my  sick  and  wounded  soldiers  to  your  peaceable  village  ;  but  so  it 
is.  We  will  want  room  for  two  thousand  at  Bethlehem,  Easton,  and  North- 
ampton, and  you  may  expect  them  on  Saturday  or  Sunday. 

"  'These  are  dreadful  times ;  consequences  of  unnatural  wars.  I  am  truly 
concerned  for  your  Society,  and  wish  sincerely  this  stroke  could  be  averted, 
but  'tis  impossible.  WILLIAM  SHIPPEN.' 

"  Seeing  ourselves  under  the  necessity  of  relieving  the  distress  of  the 
country,  on  the  next  day  we  gave  orders  for  the  evacuation  of  the  Brethren's 
House  by  its  residents,  and  its  clearance  from  basement  to  attic. 

"The  second  occupation  of  the  Brethren's  House  by  the  hospital  sick 
continued  until  June,  1778. 

"  October  4,  1777,  loud  cannonading  was  heard  in  the  distance.  Some 
days  later,  intelligence  reached  us  of  the  battle  of  Germantown,  and  on  the 
6th  and  7th,  numbers  of  the  wonnded  were  conveyed  here  to  the  hospital. 

"  October  22.  A  number  of  wagons  with  sick  from  the  army  arrived. 
Upwards  of  400  are  at  present  in  the  Brethren's  House  alone,  and  50  in 
the  tents  below. 

"November  11.  Dr.  Aquila  Wilmot,  a  hospital  physician,  died,  and,  pur- 
suant to  a  request  made  on  his  death-bed,  was  interred  in  our  graveyard. 

"  1777,  December  24.  During  the  month,  large  numbers  of  sick  wen; 
brought  to  Bethlehem  from  the  Jerseys,  generally  in  open  wagons,  often 
amid  snow  and  beating  rain.  The  hospital  list  daily  increased,  and  be- 
tween Christmas  and  New  Year's,  upwards  of  seven  hundred  invalids  were 
crowded  into  the  Brethren's  House  alone.  Numbers  died — especially  in 
the  upper  stories,  where  the  filth  and  pollution  were  intolerable."  (Moravian 
Souvenir,  by  Prof.  W.  C.  Reichel.) 


56  MEDICAL   MEN 

lar  to  decry  its  management.  This  was  aggravated  by  the 
fact  that  the  American  army  had  largely  concentrated, 
during  the  winter  of  1776-77,  in  the  vicinity  of  Philadel- 
phia, where  Congress  was  then  in  session,  so  that  all  classes 
became  familiar  with  the  distresses  of  the  troops,  which  had 
the  effect  of  exciting  the  philanthropists  to  make  represen- 
tations to  members  of  Congress  and  persons  influential  with 
the  Military  Committee  to  secure  greater  comforts  for  the 
sick.  Many  suggestions  were  in  consequence  made  to  the 
generals  and  to  Congress,  but  the  scope  of  this  paper  will 
not  allow  me  to  note  others  than  those  in  which  the  medical 
profession  were  interested. 

The  conviction  was  grounded  in  the  minds  of  many  that 
the  organization  of  the  medical  department  was  defective 
and  required  some  radical  change.  This  was  no  doubt  the 
motive  that  induced  a  number  of  medical  men  to  make 
suggestions  to  generals,  to  Congress,  and  to  individual 
members  of  that  body,  looking  to  its  improvement,  and 
which  finally  led  to  radical  changes  in  its  organization.1 

1  "  To  Richard  Henry  Lee,  Bethlehem,  Dec.  17,  1776.  Dear  Sir  :  After 
much  difficulty  and  expense,  I  have  removed  all  the  sick  to  Eastou,  Bethle- 
hem, and  Allentown ;  their  number  is  now  much  reduced,  and  all  in  a  good 
way.  I  send  twenty  or  thirty  weekly  to  join  the  army.  There  is  no  pay- 
master or  gener.:!  near  us,  and  I  am  almost  out  of  cash;  I  must  therefore 
b.'g  the  favor  of  you  to  procure  me  five  thousand  dollars,  and  send  them  by 
the  bearer,  Dr.  Hailing,  for  the  use  of  this  hospital.  You  will  please  to 
give  a  receipt  for  me,  etc.  .  . 

"To  Colonel  Lee,  of  the  honorable  Continental  Congress,  Philadelphia. 

"  P.  S,  From  a  tedious  experience,  I  have  learned  what  is  necessary  in  a 
military  hospital,  and  think  it  my  duty  to  give  my  opinion  thereon  to  my 
friends  in  Congress.  I  have  attended  to  this  matter 'more  carefully  because 
I  saw  on  my  first  entering  the  army  that  many  more  brave  Americans  fell 
a  sacrifice  to  neglect  and  iniquity  in  the  medical  department  than  fell  by 
the  sword  of  the  enemy.  I  saw  directors,  but  no  direction  ;  physicians  and 
surgeons,  but  too  much  about  their  business,  and  the  care  of  the  sick  com- 
mitted to  young  boys,  in  the  character  of  mates,  quite  ignorant,  and,  as  I 
am  informed,  hired  at  half  price,  etc.  Some  I  found  honestly  doing  the 
duty  of  their  stations.  How  far  my  own  department  has  been  better  filled 
does  not  become  me  to  say,  and  I  am  not  ashamed  to  own  that  I  am  con- 
scious of  many  imperfections,  but  flatter  myself  that  none  of  them  have 
arisen  from  want  of  care  and  integrity  in  the  director,  or  skill  and  industry 


OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  57 

On  the. 6th  of  June,  1776,  Dr.  Jonathan  Potts  was  ap- 
pointed physician  and  surgeon  in  the  Canadian  Department, 

in  his  physicians,  surgeons,  and  mates ;  all  the  latter,  he  can  with  pleasure 
declare,  have  done  more  than  their  duty  cheerfully. 

"  Some  have  arisen  from  my  inexperience,  some  from  the  scarcity  of  many 
articles  necessary  for  the  sick,  and.  some  from  the  distracted,  flying  state  of 
the  army.  All  these  causes,  I  persuade  myself,  will  in  a  great  measure  be 
removed  in  the  next  campaign  if  our  cruel  enemies  risk  another. 

"  I  would  humbly  propose  the  following  arrangement  as  necessary,  and  I 
hope  adequate  to  making  the  sick  soldiery  comfortable  and  happy  :  Suppose 
three  armies,  a  northern,  middle,  and  southern ;  to  each  of  these  the  follow- 
ing officers  : — 

1  Director  and  Surgeon-General  at      .         .  35s.  Od.  and  8  rations. 

3  Sub  or  Assistant  Directors        ...  22  .6  "  6  " 
10  Surgeons  or  Physicians           .         .         .  20  0  "  4  " 

20  Mates 7  6  "  2  " 

1  Apothecary-General          .         .         .         .  20  0  "  4  " 

4  Mates 7  6  "  2  " 

1  To  act  as  Quartermaster-General  and  Com- 
missary-General       .         .         .         .         .  12  6  "  4  " 

3  Deputies,  or  one  to  every  hundred  sick    .  7      6        "     2       " 

1  Steward  to  everv  hundred  sick          .         .  5      0       "     2       " 

1  Matron  to  every  one  hundred  sick    .         .  3      9       "     2       " 

1  Ward  Master  to  every  one  hundred  sick  .  5      0       "     1       " 

1  Nurse  to  every  fifteen  sick,  10s.  Od.  per 

week,  instead  of  one  to  every  ten  at  7s.  &d. ; 

they  are  not  to  be  had  at  7s.  Qd. 
1  To  act  as  Secretary  and  Storekeeper  to 

every  hospital 7      6       "     2      " 

"The  Directors-General  and  sub-directors  to  be  chosen  by  the  Congress; 
the  physicians,  surgeons,  and  apothecaries,  by  the  directors ;  the  mates  by 
the  physicians  and  surgeons,  after  a  strict  examination  ;  all  other  officers  by 
the  directors. 

"  Not  less  than  this,  in  my  opinion,  will  induce  men  properly  qualified  to 
engage ;  and  any  others  will  be  dear  at  any  price. 

"I  have  the  honor  to  be,  dear  sir,  your  very  humble  servant, 

"  WILLIAM  SHIPPEN,  JR. 

"  P.  S.  No  regimental  hospitals  will  now  be  necessary.  To  every  regi- 
ment should  be  appointed  by  the  Congress,  after  being  examined  and  rec- 
ommended by  the  directors  and  physicians  and  surgeons  of  the  hospital,  or 
by  three  or  four  of  the  most  eminent  in  any  State,  appointed  by  that  State 
for  the  purpose,  one  surgeon  at  12s.  6d.  and  4  rations  per  diem,  and  two 
mates  at  6s.  3d.  and  2  rations  per  diem. 

"  To  be  supplied  with  one  case  of  amputating  and  trepanning  instruments, 


58  MEDICAL   MEN 

or  at  Lake  George,  but  not  to  supersede  Dr.  Springer. 
(Journ.  of  Congress,  June  6,  1776.) 

The  legislation  in  Congress  at  this  time  was  notably  in 
the  direction  of  separate  departments  or  divisions.  On  the 
9th  of  October,  1776,  Dr.  Wm.  Shippen,  Jr.,  was  appointed 
to  provide  and  superintend  a  hospital  for  the  army  in  New 
Jersey,  leaving  the  hospitals  on  the  east  side  of  the  North 
River  under  the  control  of  Dr.  Morgan.1 

The  appointment  of  Dr.  Shippen  to  a  directorship  in  the 
hospital  department,  without  any  consultation,  as  far  as  we 
know,  with  General  Washington  or  Dr.  Morgan,  seems  to 
have  been  brought  about  by  the  general  discontent  of  the 
people  and  the  army,  and  by  the  friends  of  Dr.  Shippen, 
who  had  influence  with  Congress,  and  possibly  his  own 
solicitation.  The  resolution  of  Congress  in  October,  which 
enlarged  his  authority  and  power,  would  seem  to  give  color 

one  case  pocket  ditto,  and  such  a  chest  of  medicines  as  the  directors  shall 
think  proper. 

"  Bethlehem,  Dec.  20,  1776." 

(American  Archives,  5th  series,  vol.  iii.  p.  1259.) 

1  Oct.  9,  1776,  Congress  Resolved,  That  no  regimental  hospitals  be  for 
the  future  allowed  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  general  hospital.  That  John 
Morgan,  Esq.,  provide  and  superintend  an  hospital  at  a  proper  distance  from 
the  camp  for  the  army  posted  on  the  east  side  of  Hudson's  River. 

That  Wm.  Shippen,  Jr.,  Esq.,  provide  and  superintend  an  hospital  for  the 
army  in  the  State  of  New  Jersey.  That  each  of  the  hospitals  be  supplied 
by  the  respective  directors  with  such  a  number  of  surgeons,  apothecaries, 
surgeons'  mates,  and  other  assistants;  and,  also,  such  quantities  of  medicines, 
bedding,  and  other  necessaries  as.  they  shall  judge  expedient.  That  they 
make  weekly  returns,  to  Congress  and  the  commander-in-chief,  of  the  officers 
and  assistants  of  each  denomination,  and  also  the  numbers  of  sick  and 
diseased  in  their  respective  hospitals. 

That  the  regimental  surgeons  be  directed  to  send  to  the  general  hospitals 
such  officers  and  soldiers  of  their  respective  regiments  as,  being  confined  by 
wounds  or  other  disorders,  shall  require  nurses  or  constant  attendance,  and 
from  time  to  time  to  apply  to  the  quartermaster-general,  or  his  deputy,  for 
convenient  wagons  for  this  purpose  ;  also,  that  they  apply  to  the  directors 
in  their  respective  departments  for  medicines  and  other  necessaries.  That 
the  wages  of  nurses  be  augmented  to  one  dollar  a  week. 

That  the  commanding  officer  of  each  regiment  be  directed,  once  a  week, 
to  send  a  commissioned  officer  to  visit  the  sick  of  his  respective  regiment  in 
the  general  hospital,  and  report  their  state  to  him.  (Journal  of  Congress, 
Oct.  9,  1776.) 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  59 

to  this  hypothesis.  His  view  of  the  duties  of  the  position 
assigned  him  by  Congress,  was  not  promptly  acquiesced  in 
or  understood  in  the  same  way  by  commanders  generally, 
and  led  him  to  write  complainingly  on  the  subject  to 
General  "Washington.1  The  general's  reply  not  being  satis- 
factory, he  then  wrote  on  the  same  subject,  and  complains 
to  Congress,  and  even  reflects  on  the  course  of  Dr.  Morgan2 

1  "  HEAD  QUARTERS,  November  3d,  1776? 

"  DEAR  SIR  :  I  am  favored  with  yours  of  the  29th  last  month.  Although 
by  the  resolutions  of  Congress  you  are  appointed  to  the  director-general- 
ship of  the  flying  camp  in  New  Jersey,  and  Doctor  Morgan  to  that  of  the 
Continental  army,  which  has  lain  on  this  side  of  the  North  Eiver;  yet  I 
never  imagined  it  meant  to  exclude  either  of  you  from  the  power  of  estab- 
lishing hospitals  on  whichever  side  of  the  river  you  thought  most  conve- 
nient for  your  respective  sick.  Under  the  circumstances  in  which  we  left 
New  York,  we  found  it  impossible  to  remove  our  sick  up  the  country  on 
this  side  the  river ;  Doctor  Morgan  was  therefore  directed  to  provide  and 
prepare  hospitals  for  them  in  Jersey,  to  be  under  the  control  of  him  and 
his  assistants. 

"  He  informs  me  he  has  left  Doctor  Foster,  with  proper  assistants,  to  take 
care  of  those  sick  who  were  removed  from  this  army ;  and  it  is  my  desire 
that  they  may  remain  under  his  direction.  He  will  undoubtedly  take  pro- 
per measures  to  provide  comfortably  for  them.  As  fast  as  they  recover 
they  are  to  be  sent  over  to  this  army  again;  and  though  they  may  have 
put  you  to  some  inconvenience  for  a  time,  yet  consider  the  necessity  of  the 
times  must  plead  the  excuse.  We  have  now  established  hospitals  in  this 
neighborhood,  and  therefore  shall  have  occasion  to  send  no  more  to  Jersey. 
As  fast  as  Doctor  Foster's  sick  are  removed,  the  houses  will  be  left  for 
your  use  and  convenience. 

"  I  am,  dear  sir,  your  most  obedient  servant. 

"  GEO.  WASHINGTON. 

"  To  Dr.  WILLIAM  SHIPPEN." 

(Amer.  Archiv.,  5th  ser.,  vol.  iii.  p.  493.) 
2  "  NEWARK,  9th  November,  1776. 

"  DEAR  AND  HONOURABLE  SIR  :  I  think  it  proper  to  inform  the  honorable 
Congress  that  I  have  not  yet  taken  any  of  the  Continental  sick  on  this  side 
of  the  North  River  under  my  direction,  agreeable  to  their  last  regulation, 
because  Dr.  Morgan  differs  in  opinion  with  me  concerning  the  meaning  of 
Congress,  and  because  General  Washington  desires  they  may  remain  under 
his  care,  as  you  will  see  by  the  enclosed  letter  from  His  Excellency,  the  Gen- 
eral, who  makes  no  distinction  between  my  appointment  in  July  and  your 
resolves  in  October,  and,  in  my  opinion,  has  not  seen  the  latter  (which  ex- 
pressly says)  all  the  sick  on  this  side  of  the  North  River  shall  be  under 
my  care  and  direction. 

"  The  Congress  will  see,  by  the  enclosed  from  General  Mercer,  his  senti- 


60  MEDICAL    MEN 

and  General  Washington.  Dr.  Shippen's  letters  are  diplo- 
matic, and  show  that  he  felt  confident  that  he  and  Congress 
had  come  to  an  understanding  on  the  subject  of  the  future 
medical  management  of  the  hospital  department. 

The  further  legislation  which  required  weekly  reports  from 
the  hospital  surgeons  as  to  the  condition  and  number  under 
treatment,  was  an  important  step  in  securing  efficiency  in  the 
medical  corps.1  It  was  surprising  that  it  had  been  so  long 

ments  on  the  subject,  and  the  necessity  of  my  receiving  further  directions 
from  them.  1  should  not  trouble  the  Congress  on  this  head,  but  that  I 
imagine  they  expect  I  am  exerting  my  best  endeavors  to  relieve  the  poor 
soldiery  from  the  great  distress  they  suffer  daily,  and  because  it  is  impossi- 
ble Dr.  Morgan  can  pay  any  attention  to  them,  as  he  js  now  busy  in  estab- 
lishing hospitals  at  a  great  distance,  on  the  other  side  of  Hudson's  River. 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  dear  sir,  your  and  the  Congress's  obedient  and 
very  humble  servant,  W.  SHIPPEN,  JUN. 

"  To  the  Hon.  JOHN  HANCOCK." 

(Amer.  Arch.,  5th  ser.,  vol.  iii.  p.  618.) 

1  •'  PERTH  AMBOY,  N.  J.,  November  1st,  1776. 
"  To  RICHARD  PETERS, 

"  THE  BOARD  OF  WAR  : — 

"  DEAR  SIR  :  Enclosed  is  a  return  of  the  sick  in  my  hospitals.  Besides 
these  there  are  in  each  regiment  a  number  called  sick  that  are  not  proper 
subjects  for  the  hospital,  and  under  the  care  of  the  regimental  surgeons, 
though  there  are  no  regimental  hospitals ;  this  will  account  for  the  differ- 
ence between  the  number  of  sick  in  Colonel  Griffin's  return  and  mine. 
Please  to  mention  this  to  the  Board. 

"  Your  Excellency's  humble,  obedient  servant, 

"  W.  SHIPPEN,  D.  H.,  etc. 

"A  return  of  the  sick  in  the  hospitals  of  Flying  Camp  and  Jersey 
militia : — 

"  At  Amboy,  two  hospitals ;  sick,  90 ;  wounded,  7.     Total,  97. 

"At  Elizabethtown:  sick,  54;  wounded,  3;  sick  from  Canada,  25. 
Total,  82. 

"  At  Fort  Lee :  sick  of  our  own,  75 ;  wounded  do.,  9 ;  distressed  New 
England  troops,  19.  Total,  93. 

"  Brunswick  :  sick,  10.     Total,  10. 

"Trenton:  sick,  56.     Total,  56. 

"  Amount  of  the  whole,  338. 

"GENTLEMEN:  The  number  of  sick  and  wounded  in  my  department  is 
three  hundred  and  thirty-eight ;  four-fifths  of  them  are  in  a  fair  way  of 
recovery,  and  will  soon  join  their  respective  companies.  I  have  not  yet 
taken  charge  of  near  two  thousand  that  are  scattered "  up  and  down  the 
country  in  cold  barns,  and  who  suffer  exceedingly  for  want  of  comfortable 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  61 

neglected ;  but  an  examination  of  this  particular  phase  of 
hospital  management  and  military  discipline  makes  it  appa- 
rent that  no  good  system  of  hospital  returns  ever  dame 
into  use  during  the  revolutionary  war. 

Dr.  Morgan,  Director-General  of  Hospitals,  made  numerous 
appeals  to  Congress  for  more  definite  instructions  as  to  his 
duties  and  powers  over  the  hospitals  in  the  northern  division 
of  the  army,  and  particularly  as  to  his  furnishing  them  with 
medicines  and  making  medical  appointments  in  the  same. 
It  seems  that  the  medical  director  in  that  division  of  the 
army  made  no  report  to  Dr.  Morgan  or  to  Congress  of  the 
number  sick  or  of  his  hospital  accommodation.  No  informa- 
tion was  available  on  which  could  be  based  an  exact  judg- 
ment as  to  the  medical  management  of  that  department. 
Believing  it  to  be  his  duty,  Dr.  Morgan  had  always  sent 
supplies  and  hospital  stores  when  applied  to,  and  had  on 
one  occasion  appointed  a  medical  officer,  whose  services, 
however,  were  not  accepted. 

This  loose  and  unsystematic  management  Dr.  Morgan 
foresaw  must  lead  to  unpleasant  complications  in  the  de- 
partment, and  dissatisfaction  with  commanders  and  with 
Congress.  The  doctor,  in  his  anxiety  and  almost  in  despair, 
wrote  to  Samuel  Adams  a  graphic  account  of  the  condition  of 
the  army  in  Canada,  and  suggested  relief  through  additional 
legislation  (see  Amer.  Arch.,  4th  ser.,  vol.  vi.  p.  1069).  It  can- 
not, therefore,  be  claimed  that  Dr.  Morgan  was  either  ignorant 
of  or  indifferent  to  the  condition  and  suffering  of  the  troops 
in  the  northern  army.  Indeed,  it  is  evident  on  almost 
every  page  of  the  history  of  this  period  that  he  made  fre- 
quent and  urgent  appeals  to  Congress  upon  the  subject,  and 

apartments,  because  Doctor  Morgan  does  not  understand  the  meaning  of 
the  honorable  Congress  in  their  late  resolve,  and  believes  yet  they  are  to 
be  under  his  direction,  although  they  are  on  this  side  Hudson's  River.  He 
is  now  gone  over  to  take  General  Washington's  opinion ;  as  soon  as  I  re- 
ceive the  general's  orders  on  this  subject,  I  shall  exert  my  best  abilities  to 
make  the  miserable  soldiery  comfortable  and  happy. 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  gentlemen,  your  most  obedient  and  very  humble 
servant.  W.  SHIPPEN,  S.  G.  and  D.  H.,  etc." 

(Amer.  Arch.,  5th  ser.,  vol.  iii.  p.  463.) 


62  MEDICAL    MEN 

used  his  best  eudeavors  to  improve  the  management  of  the 
medical  department  in  every  division  of  the  American  army. 
Much  complaint  of  sickness  and  suffering  on  account  of 
deficiencies  of  medical  stores  in  the  northern  department 
continued  to  be  made  to  Congress.  The  physician-in-chief 
of  that  department  would  not  concede  that  he  was  to  re- 
ceive orders  from  Dr.  Morgan,  who  had  on  all  occasions, 
when  applied  to,  promptly  sent  medical  supplies,  as  was  his 
duty,  and  he  had  also  appointed  suitable  surgeons  to  attend 
the  soldiers  suffering  in  that  region.  (See  Dr.  Morgan's 
letter  to  Gen.  Gates,  Amer.  Arch.,  5th  series,  vol.  ii.  p.  106.) 
But  his  appointees  were  not  recognized,  and  their  pay  had 
been  refused  on  technical  grounds.  Dr.  Morgan's  explana- 
tion of  the  condition  of  affairs  was  succinct  and  frank,  and 
should  have  satisfied  Congress.  Under  date  of  July  18, 1776. 
Dr.  Morgan  communicated  to  Gen.  Washington  a  plan  for 
the  better  management  of  the  hospital  department.1  (Amer. 
Arch.,  5th  series,  vol.  i.  p.  416.) 

1  Dr.  Morgan,  in  a  letter  to  the  President  of  Congress,  written  at  New 
York  under  date  of  Aug.  12,  1776,  gives  a  complete  history  of  the  medical 
department  in  the  North,  and  concludes  with  the  following  statement  of 
his  feelings  and  wishes :  "  After  all  I  have  said,  I  cheerfully  submit  the 
propriety  of  my  conduct  in  making  the  before-mentioned  appointments  in 
the  general  hospitals,  and  am  desirous  of  conforming  strictly  to  my  instruc- 
tions. If  I  have  exceeded  my  commission,  it  has  been  for  want  of  knowing 
the  designs  and  resolves  of  Congress,  or  their  being  misunderstood.  Should 
the  Congress  on  that  footing  annul  my  appointments  and  make  others,  I 
must  at  least  stand  acquitted  of  intentionally  going  beyond  the  line  of  duty; 
and  it  will  behoove  Congress  to  be  more -explicit  in  respect  to  its  intentions, 
for  if  the  Congress  does  not  suppose  the  appointment  of  any  new  surgeon 
rests  with  me,  of  what  use  is  it  to  recommend  one  to  me  for  my  appro- 
bation ?  I  must  pay  an  implicit  obedience  to  their  simple  recommenda- 
tion. In  that  case,  I  do  not  imagine  there  will  be  the  same  security  for 
harmony,  or  for  having  the  business  of  the  hospital  so  well  executed,  as 
where  the  choice  of  surgeons  is  left  to  the  director-general,  which  is  an 
additional  incentive  to  industry  and  an  obliging  behavior  in  the  surgeon 
thus  freely  elected  to  approve  himself  worthy  of  the  choice.  Be  that  as  it 
may,  wherever  the  path  of  duty  is  plain,  I  shall  endeavor  to  walk  steadily 
in  it,  having  no  design  or  inclination  to  exceed  those  bounds  which  the 
good  of  the  service  or  the  wisdom  of  Congress  may  prescribe  to  me.  I 
entreat  your  excuse  for  this  long  letter,  and  beg  permission  to  subscribe 
myself,  with  the  greatest  respect,  your  most  obedient  and  very  humble 
servant,  JOHN  MORGAN." 


OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  63 

The  spirit  of  antagonism  between  the  regimental  and 
hospital  surgeons  extended  in  some  instances  to  the  corps 
and  regimental  commanders.  The  real  source  of  difficulty 
was  defective  legislative  provision,  a  want  of  reciprocal 
courtesies  and  spirit  of  accommodation  of  the  different 
departments,  and  the  impossibility  on  the  part  of  the  Direc- 
tor-General to  obtain  supplies  in  sufficient  quantity  at  all 
times,  or  to  distribute  them  with  that  promptness  desirable, 
which  sudden  emergencies  and  military  disasters  often  ren- 
dered impracticable.  Officers  of  all  grades  in  the  various 
departments  were  in  the  habit  of  writing  exaggerated  com- 
plaints to  the  Council  of  Safety  and  to  Congress,  and  because 
sympathy  could  most  certainly  be  excited  in  favor  of  the 
soldier,  the  hospital  department  was  taken  as  the  theme 
for  denunciation,  and  accused  of  most  cruel  neglect,  and  in 
some  cases  of  absolute  inhumanity,  and  the  gravest  charges 
brought  against  the  surgeons.  A  good  illustration  of  the 
complaints,  and  the  wholesale  fault-finding  indulged  in 
on  the  part  of  correspondents,  and  the  inconsiderate  ar- 
raignment of  the  hospital  management,  as  the  sole  cause 
of  discontent,  want  of  comfort,  and  suffering  among  the 
troops,  may  be  found  in  a  letter  of  General  W.  Smallwood 
to  the  Council  of  Safety  of  Maryland.1  It  is  evident  from 

1  "  Philips  Heights,  Oct.  1776. — Our  next  greatest  suffering  proceeds 
from  the  great  neglect  of  the  sick  ;  and  the  orders  relative  to  this  depart- 
ment are  most  salutary,  were  they  to  be  duly  attended  to ;  but  here,  too, 
there  is  not  only  a  shameful,  but  even  an  inhuman  neglect  daily  exhibited. 
The  Directors  of  the  General  Hospitals  supply  and  provide  for  the  sick,  who 
are  extremely  remiss  and  inattentive  to  the  well-being  and  comfort  of  these 
unhappy  men  ;  out  of  this  train  they  cannot  be  taken.  I  have  withdrawn 
all  mine  long  ago,  and  had  them  placed  in  a  comfortable  house  in  the 
country,  and  supplied  with  only  the  common  rations.  Even  this  is  prefer- 
able to  the  fare  of  a  General  Hospital.  Two  of  these  Regimental  Hos- 
pitals, after  I  have  had  them  put  in  order,  one  has  been  taken  away  by  the 
Directors  for  a  General  Hospital,  and  my  people  turned  out  of  doors,  and  the 
other  would  have  been  taken  in  the  same  manner,  had  I  not  have  applied 
to  General  Washington,  who  told  me  to  keep  it.  The  misfortune  is,  that 
every  supply  to  the  Regimental  Hospital  of  necessaries  suitable  for  the 
sick,  must  come  from  an  order  from  these  Directors,  and  is  very  seldom 
obtained.  I  have  more  than  once  applied  that  my  quartermaster  might 
furnish  and  make  a  charge  for  what  was  supplied,  by  which  means  I  could 


64  MEDICAL    MEN 

this  letter  that  the  commanders  had,  in  their  sympathy  for 
the  regimental  surgeons,  come  to  throw  emharrassments  in 
the  way  of  the  execution  of  the  regulations  of  the  Directors 
of  the  general  hospital ;  hence  the  action  of  Congress  of  Oct. 
9, 1776. 

The  enthusiasm  with  which  the  people  had  at  first  rushed 
into  the  military  service,  began  to  be  qualified  by  calm  rea- 
son, whilst  in  some  selfish  propensities  developed  themselves 
and  influenced  individual  action. 

Gen.  Washington,  in  a  letter  of  Sept.  24,  1776,  had  ex- 
pressed to  Congress  the  view  that,  in  order  to  secure  the 
highest  efficiency,  there  ought  to  be  one  recognized  head  to 
the  whole  medical  department.1 

have  rendered  the  situation  of  the  sick  much  more  comfortable,  at  a  less 
expense,  but  could  not  be  allowed.  I  wish  this  could  be  obtained.  I  fore- 
see the  evils  arising  from  this  shameful  neglect  in  this  department.  One 
good-seasoned  and  well-trained  soldier,  recovered  to  health,  is  worth  a 
dozen  new  recruits,  and  is  often  easier  recovered  than  to  get  a  recruit, 
exclusive  of  which  this  neglect  is  very  discouraging  to  the  soldiery,  and 
must  injure  the  service  upon  the  new  enlistments,  after  the  troops  go  into 
winter-quarters."  (Amer.  Archives,  5th  series,  vol.  ii.  p.  1099.) 

1  Amer.  Annals,  5th  series,  vol.  ii.  p.  497.  ';  No  less  attention  should  be 
paid  to  the  choice  of  surgeons  than  other  officers  of  the  army.  They  should 
undergo  a  regular  examination,  and  if  not  appointed  by  the  Director-Gene- 
ral and  surgeons  of  the  hospital,  they  ought  to  be  subordinate  to  and  gov- 
erned by  his  directions. 

"  The  regimental  surgeons  I  am  speaking  of,  many  of  whom  are  very  great 
rascals,  countenancing  the  men  in  sham  complaints  to  exempt  them  from 
duty,  and  often  receiving  bribes  to  certify  indispositions  with  a  view  to  pro- 
cure discharges  or  furloughs. 

"  But  independent  of  these  practices,  while  they  are  considered  as  uncon- 
nected with  the  general  hospital,  there  will  be  nothing  but  continual  com- 
plaints of  each  other — the  director  of  the  hospital  charging  them  with 
enormity  in  their  drafts  for  the  sick,  and  they  him  for  denying  such  things 
as  are  necessary.  In  short  there  is  a  constant  bickering  among  them  which 
tends  greatly  to  the  injury  of  the  sick,  and  will  always  subsist  till  the  regi- 
mental surgeons  are  made  to  look  up  to  the  Director-General  of  the  hospi- 
tal as  a  superior.  Whether  this  is  the  case  in  regular  armies  or  not,  I  can- 
not undertake  to  say ;  but  certain  I  am,  there  is  a  necessity  for  it  in  this,  or 
the  sick  will  suffer.  The  regimental  surgeons  are  aiming,  I  am  persuaded, 
to  break  up  the  General  Hospital,  and  have  in  numberless  instances  drawn 
for  medicines,  stores,  etc.,  in  the  most  profuse  and  extravagant  manner  for 
private  purposes." 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  65 

This  was  also  Dr.  Morgan's  view,  but  he  was  at  the  same 
time  anxious  to  conform  to  the  wishes  of  Congress. 

That  General  Washington  entertained  a  high  regard  for 
medical  men,  and  felt  bound  to  secure  them  full  justice  in 
the  army,  is  evidenced  by  his  letter  to  General  Smallwood 
of  the  13th  of  January,  1778,  relative  to  the  British  brig 
Symetry,  which  had  been  captured  by  General  Smallwood's 
forces  in  the  Delaware  near  Wilmington.  The  prize  con- 
tained many  articles  much  needed  by  the  officers  and  soldiers 
in  camp;  hence  the  feverish  anxiety  of  all  as  to  the  regula- 
tions and  principles  which  should  govern  the  distribution  of 
the  cargo.  The  letter,  as  far  as  I  know,  has  never  been  pub- 
lished. It  is  still  in  a  good  state  of  preservation,  and  is  now 
the  property  of  Dr.  James  C.  Hall,  of  Washington,  D.  C. 
A  literal  copy  is  given  in  foot-note.1 

Growing  out  of  the  capture  referred  to  in  the  foregoing 

1  HEAD  QUARTERS,  VALLEY  FORGE,  13th  of  Jan.  1778. 

DEAR  SIR  :  Since  writing  to  you  this  morning  on  the  subject  of  the  prize 
Brig  Symetry,  the  Regulations  of  the  Field  Officers  of  the  Division  for 
conducting  the  Sale  and  disposing  of  the  cargo  was  laid  before  me  with  a 
letter  from  the  Regimental  Surgeons  and  Mates  to  Doer.  Cochran.  These 
Gentlemen  feel  themselves  so  much  hurt  by  the  discrimination  made  by 
these  Regulations  between  them  and  the  officers  of  the  division  that  they 
have  sent  in  their  Resignations. 

As  the  common  Guardian  of  the  Rights  of  every  Man  in  this  Army  I  am 
constrained  to  interfere  in  this  matter  and  to  say  that  by  these  regulations 
a  manifest  injury  is  intended  not  only  to  the  Gentlemen  in  the  medical  line, 
but  to  the  whole  Staff,  who,  supposing  the  prize  should  be  adjudged  the 
sole  property  of  the  Captors  (a  matter  in  my  opinion  not  easily  to  be  recon- 
ciled on  principles  of  equity  and  Reason),  have  as  good  a  right  to  become 
purchasers  in  the  first  instance  and  to  all  other  privileges,  as  any  Officers 
in  the  Division. 

For  these  Reasons  therefore  I  desire  that  you  will  not  proceed  to  a  Sale 
or  distribution  of  any  of  the  Articles,  except  the  Vessel,  till  you  have  my 
further  directions,  and  that  you  will  as  early  as  possible  transmit  me  an 
inventory  of  the  Baggage  and  Stores. 

The  letter  to  Congress  is  nevertheless  to  go  on,  and  you  will  please  to 
forward  it  by  the  first  conveyance. 

I  am,  Dear  Sir, 

Yr.  most  obt.  Servt., 
(Signed)  G.  WASHINGTON. 

GENERAL  SMALLWOOD. 

5 


66  MEDICAL   MEN 

letter  was  the  following  request,  made  by  General  "Washing- 
ton on  the  22d  of  Jan.  1778,  of  General  Small  wood,  which 
furnishes  additional  proof  of  his  consideration  for  medical 
men  and  the  medical  profession,  in  his  desiring  to  return  to 
a  British  surgeon  books  and  manuscripts  taken  in  "  the 
prize  Symetry."  "A  few  days  ago,"  he  says,  "I  received 
a  very  polite  letter  from  Doctor  Boyes,  Surgeon  of  the 
15th  regiment,  British,  requesting  me  to  return  him  some 
valuable  medical  manuscripts,  taken  in  the  brig  Sym- 
etry.  He  says,  they  are  packed  in  a  neat  kind  of  portable 
library,  and  consist  of  Dr.  Cullen's  lectures  on  the  practice  of 
med.,  thirty-nine  or  forty  vols. ;  Cullen's  lectures  on  the  In- 
stitutes of  .Med.,  eighteen  vols. ;  Anatomical  lectures,  eight 
vols. ;  and  Dr.  Black  on  Chemistry,  nine  vols. ;  the  whole 
in  octavo.  If  they  can  be  found,  I  beg  that  they  may  be 
sent  up  to  me,  that  I  may  return  them  to  the  Doctor,  I 
have  no  other  view  in  doing  this,  than  that  of  showing  our 
enemies  that  we  do  not  war  against  the  Sciences."  (Sparks 's 
Life  and  Writings  of  Washington,  vol.  v.  p.  223.) 

Gen.  Washington's  views,  which  were  substantially  those 
of  Dr.  Morgan,  as  to  hospital  management  were  at  a  later 
period  adopted.  In  the  interest  of  good  management  and 
immediate  improvement  of  the  medical  department,  with 
the  approval  of  Gen.  Washington,  a  conference  was  had 
early  in  July,  at  the  request  of  Dr.  Morgan,  between  the 
regimental  surgeons  and  mates  and  himself,  at  which  regu- 
lations for  the  government  of  the  medical  department  were 
adopted,  the  first  of  which  we  have  any  record.1 

1  HOSPITAL  REGULATIONS. — Regulations  agreed  upon  betwixt  the  Director- 
General  of  the  American  Hospital  and  the  Regimental  Surgeons  and  Mates 
at  New  York,  the  day  of  July,  1776  : — 

Rule  1st.  That  every  full  regiment  or  battalion,  provided  with  a  surgeon 
and  mate,  or  each  brigade,  as  the  occasion  may  point  out,  ought  to  have 
some  convenient  quarters,  to  be  appropriated  by  the  proper  quartermaster, 
for  the  reception  of  such  of  the  sick  of  that  corps,  and  entitled  a  Regimental 
Hospital ;  which  sick  are  to  be  attended  by  their  own  regimental  surgeons 
and  mates. 

Id.  That  it  shall  be  the  business  of  the  surgeons  and  mates  in  all  regi- 
ments to  examine  the  soldiers  in  the  same  who  are  reported  to  be  unfit  for 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  67 

Congress  was  steadily  assuming  a  more  complete  super- 
vision of  all  military  operations  (see  Journ.  of  Congress, 

duty,  and  to  separate  from  the  well  those  who  are  sick,  and  to  receive  them 
into  the  Regimental  Hospital.. 

3d.  That  they  shall  keep  a  register  of  those  who  are  admitted  into  the 
Regimental  Hospital,  containing  the  patient's  name,  the  company  he  be- 
longs to,  the  days  of  his  admission  into  and  discharge  from  the  hospital 
(agreeable  to  a  form  annexed). 

4th.  That  he  shall  make  daily  returns  of  the  sick  in  his  regiment  to  the 
commanding  officer  of  the  same,  that  it  may  be  known  who  are  fit  for  duty 
and  who  are  not,  and  that  such  as  are  on  the  doctor's  list  may  not  be  in- 
cluded in  the  provision  return  of  the  regiment. 

5th.  That  the  surgeon  shall  every  day  prescribe  the  diet  of  each  sick 
person  under  his  care,  according  to  the  diet  tables  established  in  the  Gene- 
ral Hospital,  or  other  suitable  tables  to  be  agreed  on,  under  the  titles  of 
full  diet,  half  diet,  spare  diet,  dry  diet,  milk  diet,  etc. 

6th.  That  he  make  out  and  sign  the  provision  return  every  day  for  the 
sick,  and  draw  upon  the  Director-General  of  the  hospital,  agreeable  to  the 
tables  of  diet  before  mentioned  ;  for  the  regulation  of  which,  weekly  returns 
of  the  number  sick  (in  that  week)  shall  be  made  out  on  a  stated  day,  so  that 
whatever  the  price  of  diet  drawn  for  said  sick,  shall  fall  short  of  the  rations 
stopped  from  the  sick  during  the  week,  so  much  may  be  drawn  for  their  use 
in  other  stores,  as  wine,  rum,  sugar,  coffee,  tea,  molasses,  candles,  soap,  etc. 
[If  that  surplus  of  money  is  not  sufficient,  there  are  no  other  ways  to  supply 
than  either  to  do  it  by  stoppages  of  the  soldier's  pay,  as  in  the  British 
army,  or  by  its  being  advanced  by  himself,  or  by  the  colonel  or  the  captain 
of  the  regiment  to  which  he  belongs,  and  allowed  in  his  abstract;  the 
General  Hospital  having  nothing  to  do  with  the  expenses  of  Regimental 
Hospitals,  and  no  provision  for  the  purpose  being  yet  made  by  the  Con- 
gress.] 

1th.  That  no  regimental  surgeon  shall  send  any  sick  from  his  regiment  or 
Regimental  Hospital  to  the  General  Hospital  without  a  ticket  expressing 
the  name  of  the  sick,  his  company,  and  the  regiment  to  which  he  belongs, 
signed  by  himself  or  mate,  and  mentioning  likewise  the  disorder  he  labors 
under,  and  the  time  he  has  been  ill. 

8th.  That  he  send  none  to  the  General  Hospital  laboring  under  infectious, 
putrid,  or  malignant  diseases ;  for  the  introduction  of  such  fevers  into  a 
general  hospital  will  only  injure  the  persons  sent,  and  may  endanger  the 
surgeons,  mates,  and  other  officers,  as  well  as  all  that  are  sick  of  other  dis- 
eases in  the  General  Hospital,  engender  the  jail  or  hospital  fever,  and  ruin 
the  army.  Such  sick  are  to  be  kept  separate,  if  possible,  and  be  taken  care 
of  by  the  regimental  surgeon. 

Wi.  That  whatever  stores  or  utensils  may  be  wanted  for  the  use  of  a 
Regimental  Hospital,  whether  kettles  to  cook  victuals,  blankets,  etc.,  they 
ought  to  be  got  from  the  Quartermaster-General's  store,  or  procured  from 


68  MEDICAL   MEN 

April  7, 1777),  yet  the  spirit  of  independence  in  the  colonies, 
and  indeed  the  necessity  of  their  home  defence,  rendered  it 
necessary  to  maintain  a'colonial  as  well  a  continental  army. 
A  proper  subordination  was  often  difficult,  but  with  good 
will  for  a  basis,  system  and  order,  and  therefore  strength, 
were  gradually  developing  in  all  the  departments.1 

the  same  place  and  in  the  same  manner  as  the  like  articles  are  procured  for 
the  well  soldiers  of  the  regiment,  to  be  provided  by  an  order  from  the 
colonel,  the  surgeon  to  give  his  receipt  for  and  take  care  of  the  same ;  for 
the  preservation  of  which  he  may  establish  such  regulations  as  he  sees  fit. 

10</i.  That  as  the  medicine  chest,  and  a  number  of  articles,  as  old  linen, 
bandages,  etc.,  have  been  supplied  to  regiments  at  the  voluntary  motion  of 
the  Director-General  of  the  General  Hospital,  with  the  approbation  of  the 
Commander-in-chief,  whenever  the  regiments  are  disbanded  all  such  par- 
ticulars are  to  be  returned  into  the  General  Hospital  ;  otherwise,  when  new 
troops  are  levied,  under  the  present  scarcity  and  difficulty  to  procure  them, 
it  may  not  be  practicable  or  easy  to  supply  the  army  again  with  those  arti- 
cles for  another  year. 

llth.  That  for  every  Eegimental  Hospital  a  cook  ought  to  be  allowed,  to 
prepare  the  diet  of  the  sick  agreeable  to  the  tables,  or  nurses  who  may 
serve  for  cooks,  one  to  every  ten  men ;  the  pay  the  same  as  in  the  Genera] 
Hospital,  viz.,  half  a  dollar  per  week,  and  ration  allowed  (by  the  regiment). 

12th.  That  each  regimental  hospital  ought  to  have  a  corporal's  guard,  or 
at  least  three  men,  one  of  which  to  stand  sentinel  at  the  hospital  door,  to 
prevent  the  sick  from  leaving  the  hospital  without  permission  from  the  sur- 
geon, and  to  keep  persons  from  going  in  without  orders,  to  disturb  the  sick, 
or  carry  liquor  to  them.  The  other  persons,  whilst  relieved  from  standing 
sentinel,  to  serve  for  a  time  as  waiters,  and  obey  the  surgeon  and  his  mate, 
in  respect  to  any  assistance  which  may  be  reasonably  required  in  behalf  of 
the  sick. 

Lastly.  That  in  all  cases  not  provided  for  by  the  foregoing  or  any  future 
regulations  that  may  be  agreed  upon,  the  surgeons  and  mates  shall  observe 
the  customs  and  usages  of  the  British  army,  and  shall  at  all  times  obey 
such  orders  as  they  shall  (in  the  way  of  duty)  receive  from  the  Director- 
General  for  the  treatment  of  the  sick,  or  for  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of 
their  station.  (American  Archives,  5th  series,  vol.  i.  p.  108.) 

1  Nov.  29, 1776,  Congress  resolved  that  the  Medical  Committee  be  directed 
to  provide  sufficient  quantities  of  antiscorbutic  for  the  use  of  the  hospitals 
in  the  Northern  army. 

That  the  hospital  at  Fort  George  be  continued  for  the  reception  of  soldiers 
laboring  with  contagious  diseases,  and  that  there  be  a  general  hospital 
erected  on  Mount  Independence.  That  a  suitable  spot  of  ground  for  a 
garden  be  inclosed  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  general  hospital  to  supply 
the  army  with  vegetables,  and  that  laborers  be  hired  to  cultivate  it  under 


OF    THK    REVOLUTION.  69 

With  a  view  to  further  improve  the  medical  department, 
Congress,  on  the  30th  of  Sept.  1776,  passed  resolutions  re- 
quiring examiners  to  be  appointed  to  determine  upon  the 
qualifications  of  those  applying  to  enter  the  medical  service, 
and  requiring  their  approval  before  appointments  should  be 
confirmed.1 

The  General  Assembly  of  Connecticut,  whose  soldiers  had 
been  largely  employed  in  the  lake  region,  where  there  had 
been  much  suffering  from  sickness,  and  possibly  inefficient 
management  on  the  part  of  the  medical  officers,  passed,  Oct. 
1776,  a  resolution  to  create  a  committee  of  medical  gentle- 
men to  examine  applicants  for  admission  as  surgeons  and 
mates  into  the  army  and  navy  belonging  to  the  colony.  The 
form  of  an  oath  was  at  the  same  time  prescribed  which  the 
examiners  were  required  to  subscribe  to.2 

the  direction  of  au  overseer  to  be  appointed  by  the  general  or  commanding 
officer. 

That  the  general  or  commanding  officer  in  each  of  the  armies  cause  strict 
inquiry  to  be  made  into  the  conduct  of  the  directors  of  the  hospitals,  and 
their  surgeons,  officers,  and  servants,  and  of  regimental  surgeons,  that  if 
there  has  been  any  just  ground  of  complaint  in  those  departments,  the 
offenders  may  be  punished.  That  the  colonel  or  commanding  officer  of 
every  regiment  make  frequent  inquiry  into  the  health  of  the  men  under  his 
command,  and  report  the  state  thereof,  with  any  negligence,  malpractice,  or 
other  misconduct  of  the  surgeons  and  others,  to  the  General,  and  to  Con- 
gress, delivering  copies  of  such  reports  to  all  persons  therein  accused. 

1  Journ.  of  Cong.,  Sept.  30, 1776.    "  That  it  be  recommended  to  the  legis- 
latures of  the  United  States  to  appoint  gentlemen  in  their  respective  States, 
skilful  in  physic  and  surgery,  to  examine  those  who  offer  to  serve  as  surgeons 
or  surgeons'  mates  in  the  army  or  navy ;  and  that  no  surgeon  or  mate  shall 
hereafter  receive  a  commission  or  warrant  to  act  as  such  in  the  army  or 
navy  who  shall  not  produce  a  certificate  from  some  one  of  the  examiners  so 
to  be  appointed,  to  prove  that  he  is  qualified  to  execute  the  office.     That 
all  regimental  surgeons  and  mates,  as  well  as  those  of  the  hospital,  be  sub- 
ject to  the  direction  and  control  of  the  directors  in  the  several  departments. 

"  That  no  soldier  be  discharged  from  the  service  as  disabled,  unless  the 
certificate  of  disability  be  countersigned  by  the  director,  assistant  physician, 
or  first  surgeon  of  the  hospital,  nor  be  excused  from  duty  for  sickness,  unless 
the  certificate  of  sickness  be  countersigned  by  one  of  those  persons  where 
access  may  be  had  to  them." 

2  Amer.  Arch.,  vol.  iii.,  5th  series,  p.  455.     "  Resolved  by  this  Assembly, 
That  Doctors  Alexander  Wolcott,  John  Dickinson,  John  Watrous,  Eneas 
Munson,  Leveret  Hubbard,  Elias  Camington,   Elisha  Tracy,  Benj.  Gale, 


70  MEDICAL   MEN 

The  leading  men  of  Connecticut  were  patriotic,  vigilant, 
and  well  informed  in  what  was  essential  in  raising  and 
properly  equipping  an  army.  Her  soldiers  were  brave,  and 
among  the  earliest  to  take  the  field  and  win  distinction  by 
their  prowess ;  they  were  poorly  supplied  for  a  long  cam- 
paign, however.  The  comfort  of  the  soldier  and  his  care  and 
skilful  treatment  when  sick  or  wounded  was  held  to  be  a 
paramount  duty  of  the  officers  and  the  State  government. 
Connecticut  was  the  first  to  suggest  and  to  put  in  operation 
convalescent  hospitals,1  which,  no  doubt,  prevented  much  suf- 

Eleazar  Mather,  Platt  Townsend,  Amos  Mead,  James  Cogswell,  John  Clark, 
Elisha  Lord,  Samuel  Lee,  Reuben  Smith,  Elisha  Sill,  and  Seth  Bird,  or  any 
three  of  them,  be  appointed,  and  they  hereby  are  appointed  and  authorized 
to  examine  such  persons  within  this  State,  as  may  offer  themselves  to  serve 
as  surgeons  or  surgeons'  mates  in  the  Continental  Army  or  Navy,  and  upon 
full  evidence  of  proper  and  sufficient  qualifications  to  give  certificates  accord- 
ingly. And  it  is  further  resolved  by  this  Assembly,  That  said  examiners,  and 
all  others  who  may  hereafter  be  appointed  for  the  same  purpose,  shall  be  under 
oath  for  their  faithful  performance  of  their  trust,  according  to  their  best  skill 
and  judgment.  That  the  form  of  said  oath  shall  be  as  follows,  viz. :  You, 
A.  B.,  being  appointed  to  examine  those  persons  within  this  State  who 
shall  offer  to  serve  as  surgeons  or  surgeons'  mates  in  the  Continental  Army 
or  Navy,  do  swear  by  the  name  of  the  everlasting  God,  that  you  will  faith- 
fully and  impartially  execute  said  trust,  according  to  your  best  skill  and 
judgment,  and  give  certificates  to  such  as  you  shall  find  qualified  to  serve 
in  said  office,  without  respect  of  person  or  favor  to  any  man.  So  help  you 
God.  Which  oath  any  one  Assistant  Justice  of  the  Peace  is  hereby  author- 
ized and  directed,  on  request,  to  administer  to  the  examiners  that  are  or 
shall  be  appointed  for  the  purpose  aforesaid." 

1  Connecticut  Assembly,  Oct.  1776.  "Resolved,  by  this  Assembly,  that 
a  hospital  shall  be  provided  and  maintained  by  this  State  for  the  reception 
and  relief  of  such  soldiers  from  this  State  as  shall  serve  in  the  Continental 
Army,  and  such  of  the  militia  from  this  State  as  may  from  time  to  time 
join  said  army  during  the  present  war. 

"  That  said  hospital  shall  be  under  the  direction  of  a  chief  surgeon  or 
director,  appointed  by  this  State,  and  shall  be  furnished  with  skilful  sur- 
geons, medicines,  and  other  necessaries.  That  the  director  or  chief  surgeon 
shall  have  the  custody  of  the  stores  of  medicines  and  other  refreshments 
from  time  to  time  for  the  use  and  relief  of  the  sick,  who  shall  issue  the  same 
to  the  regimental  surgeons  as  the  necessities  of  their  respective  regiments 
require. 

"And  be  it  further  Resolved,  That  his  honor  the  Governor  and  his  Council 
of  Safety  be  authorized  and  directed,  with  the  advice  of  his  excellency  the 
General,  to  provide  such  hospital,  appoint  surgeons  and  other  proper 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  71 

fering,  and  assisted  in  restoring  many  to  health  and  future 
usefulness  in  the  army,  who,  if  longer  neglected,  would  have 
sunk  beyond  recovery.  Perhaps  the  largest  of  the  general 
hospitals  in  this  State  was  at  Stamford,  of  which  Dr.  Philip 
Turner  was  the  surgeon  in  charge. 

To  meet  the  requirements  of  the  service  in  supplying  and 

officers,  give  orders  for  procuring  proper  medicines  and  refreshments,  and 
regulate  the  issuing  the  same  from  said  hospital  as  they  shall  judge  most 
likely  to  answer  the  good  ends  intended  to  be  attained  by  this  resolve. 

"And  be  it  further  Resolved,  That  four  hundred  bed  sacks,  four  hundred 
shirts,  and  four  hundred  blankets  and  eight  hundred  sheets  be  immediately 
procured  for  the  use  of  the  sick  in  said  hospital,  all  which  shall  be  delivered 
to  the  chief  surgeon,  taking  his  receipt  to  be  accountable  for  the  same." 
(Amer.  Arch.,  5th  series,  vol.  iii.  p.  456.) 

The  meeting  of  the  Governor  and  the  Council  of  Safety  of  Connecticut, 
Sept.  18,  1776,  took  the  following  action  :  — 

"  It  being  represented  to  this  board  that  many  of  the  troops  from  this 
State  are  returning  home  sick  and  wounded,  and  that  they  are  exposed  to 
suffer  for  want  of  proper  accommodations  and  refreshments : 

"  Voted  and  Resolved,  That  convenient  hospitals  be  provided  for  the 
reception  and  accommodation  of  the  troops  from  the  army,  at  and  near  New 
York,  who  are  sick,  on  furlough,  or  discharged;  that  one  or  more  such  hos- 
pitals be  procured  in  every  town  between  New  Haven  and  King's  Bridge, 
in  the  State  of  New  York ;  that  a  suitable  person  be  employed  at  each  of 
said  hospitals,  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  see  that  the  same  be  furnished  with 
provisions  and  refreshments  for  the  use  of  the  sick  and  wounded  soldiers 
that  may  be  received  there,  and  that  they  be  properly  attended  and  taken 
care  of  therein ;  that  the  selectmen  in  the  towns  from  New  Haven  to 
Greenwich  be  appointed  and  empowered,  on  behalf  of  the  State,  to  take  up 
and  provide  such  hospitals  in  their  respective  towns,  and  to  procure  proper 
persons  to  oversee  and  furnish  said  hospitals  as  aforesaid,  and  also  to  ex- 
amine into  the  state  and  circumstances  of  sick  soldiers  belonging  to  this 
State  on  the  road  home,  and  to  afford  them  such  assistance  as  they  judge 
necessary,  and  that  Mr.  Elkanah  Tisdale  be  appointed  to  provide  such 
hospitals  in  the  State  of  New  York,  and  appoint  overseers  to  furnish  them 
as  aforesaid  ;  that  an  order  be  drawn  on  the  pay -table  to  draw  upon  the 
treasurer  to  pay  said  Elkanah  Tisdale  the  sum  of  £100  lawful  money,  to 
enable  him  on  his  part  to  carry  this  resolve  into  execution,  and  render  his 
account  of  the  same ;  and  that  said  Tisdale  do  communicate,  and  leave  attested 
copies  of  this  resolve,  with  the  several  selectmen  aforesaid ;  and  that  he  do 
also  advise  with  and  ask  the  assistance  of  the  committees  in  the  State,  of 
New  York,  and  also  of  General  Washington  (if  necessary),  in  executing 
this  resolve  as  aforesaid  (order  drawn  and  delivered  to  Mr.  Tisdale,  Sept. 
20,  1776)."  (Amer.  Arch.,  5th  series,  vol.  ii.  p.  387.) 


72  MEDICAL    MEN 

distributing  medicines  and  hospital  stores  to  the  army,  Con- 
gress, in  August,  appointed  Dr.  "William  Smith,  of  Phila- 
delphia, a  druggist  to  the  army,  with  a  salary  of  $30  per 
month.  Dr.  Stringer,  having  failed  to  give  satisfaction,  not- 
withstanding the  strong  personal  friendship  of  Gen.  Schuy- 
ler  for  him,  was  dismissed  on  the  9th  of  January,  1777,  and 
Dr.  Potts  was  directed,  by  a  resolution  of  Congress,  January 
14,  1777,  to  supersede  him  in  authority.  The  strenuous 
efforts  of  Dr.  Morgan  to  place  the  hospital  department  on  a 
better  footing  had  caused  many  interested,  and  some  incom- 
petent parties  to  oppose  him.  This  clamor  against  the  doc- 
tor increased  as  the  troops  and  officers  collected  in  Philadel- 
phia and  mingled  in  society;  and  it  was  so  pressed  by  his 
opponents,  that  he  was  at  length  summarily  dismissed  Jan. 
9,  1777,  without  a  hearing.  His  reputation  was  practically 
sacrificed,  and  his  eminent  abilities  lost  to  his  country.1 

The  doctor  presented  to  Congress  a  defence  of  his  official 
course  while  Medical  Director  of  the  Continental  Army,  and 
asked  that  an  inquiry  be  made  into  his  conduct.  The  sub- 
ject was  referred  to  a  committee,  but  a  report  was  not  made 
until  June  12,  1779.  This  report  fully  exonerated  him  from 
blame,  but  did  not  restore  him  to  service,  and  placed  the 
cause  of  removal  on  grounds  of  public  policy.2 

1  Jan.  9,  1777.     "Congress  resumed  the  consideration  of  the  Medical 
Committee,  whereupon,  Resolved,  That  Dr.  John  Morgan,  Director-General, 
and  Dr.  Samuel  Stringer,  Director  of  the  Hospital  in  the  Northern  Depart- 
ment of  the  Army  of  the  United  States,  be  and  they  are  hereby  dismissed 
from  any  further  services  in  said  offices.     That  the  directors  of  the  military 
hospitals  throughout  the  army,  with  the  assistance  of  the  hospital  and  regi- 
mental surgeons  in  each  department,  make  returns  to  Congress,  as  soon  as 
possible,  of  the  kind  and  quantity  of  medicines,  instruments,  and  hospital 
furniture  that  remain  on  hand." 

2  June  12, 1779.  "  Congress  took  into  consideration  the  report  of  the  com- 
mittee, consisting  of  Mr.  Drayton,  Mr.  Harvie,  Mr.  Witherspoon,  to  whom 
was  referred  the  memorial  of  Dr.  John  Morgan,  late  director-general  aud 
physician-in-chief  in  the  general  hospitals  of  the  United  States,  and  there- 
upon came  to  the  following  resolutions :    Whereas,  by  the  report  of  the 
medical  committee,  confirmed  by  Cohgress  on  the  9th  of  August,  1777,  it 
appears  that  Dr.  John  Morgan,  late  director-general  and  chief  physician  of 
the  general  hospitals  of  the  United  States,  had  been  removed  from  office  on 
the  9th  of  January,  1777,  by  reason  of  the  general  complaint  of  persons  of  all 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  73 

Congress  on  the  7th  of  April,  1777,  resumed  the  considera- 
tion of  a  report  on  the  hospitals.  Plans  had  been  proposed 
by  Dr.  John  Cochran  and  Dr.  Wm.  Shippen,  patterned  after 
those  of  the  British  Army,  which  received  the  endorsement 
of  Gen.  "Washington,  and  were  adopted.  (See  Journal  of 
Congress,  April  7, 1777.)  These  latter  regulations  were  more 
explicit  in  prescribing  the  duties  and  powers  of  the  depart- 
ment of  medicine,  and  it  divided  the  country  into  military 
districts,  namely,  Eastern,  Northern,  Middle,  and  inferen- 
tially  a  Southern  division,  also  making  appointments  of 
medical  officers  for  each.  The  military  rank  of  the  medical 
staff  was  also  better  defined.  Dr.  James  Tilton,  in  his  little 
work  on  hospitals,  says  that  there  were,  in  1781,  thirteen 
divisions  of  military  commands  of  major-generals.  New 
hospital  regulations  were  also  presented  and  adopted  by  Con- 
gress, Sept.  30,  1780.1 

ranks  in  the  army,  and  the  critical  state  of  affairs  at  that  time;  and  that,  the 
said  Dr.  John  Morgan  requesting  an  inquiry  into  his  conduct,  it  was  thought 
proper  that  a  committee  of  Congress  should  be  appointed  for  that  purpose. 
And,  whereas,  on  the  18th  day  of  September  last,  such  a  committee  was 
appointed,  before  whom  the  said  Dr.  John  Morgan  hath  in  the  most  satisfac- 
tory manner  vindicated  his  conduct  in  every  respect  as  director-general  and 
physician-in-chief,  upon  the  testimony  of  the  commander-in-chief,  general 
officers,  officers  in  the  general  hospital  department,  and  other  officers  in  the 
army,  showing  that  the  said  director-general  did  conduct  himself  ably  and 
faithfully  in  discharge  of  the  duties  of  his  office;  therefore  Resolved,  That 
Congress  are  satisfied  with  the  conduct  of  Dr.  John  Morgan  while  acting 
as  director-general  and  physician-in-chief  in  the  general  hospitals  of  the 
United  States,  and  that  this  resolution  be  published." 

1  April  11,  1777.  Congress  then  proceeded  to  election  of  officers  in  the 
hospital  department,  and  the  ballots  being  taken, 

Dr.  Wm.  Shippen,  Jun.,  was  chosen,  by  unanimous  ballot  of  the  thirteen 
States,  director-general  of  all  the  military  hospitals  for  the  armies  of  the 
United  States. 

Dr.  Walter  Jones,  physician  general  of  the  hospital  in  the  middle  depart- 
ment. 

Dr.  Benj.  Hush,  surgeon-general  of  the  hospital  in  the  middle  department. 

Dr.  John  Cochran,  physician  and  surgeon-general  of  the  army  in  the  mid- 
dle department. 

Dr.  Isaac  Forster,  deputy  director-general  of  the  hospital  in  the  eastern 
department. 

Dr.  Ammi  Ruhamah  Cutter,  physician-general  of  the  hospital  in  the 
eastern  department. 


74  MEDICAL   MEN 

The  surgeons  and  mates  had  from  1776  been  petitioning 
Congress  for  an  increase  of  pay.  In  May,  1778,  it  was  raised 
to  $60  for  surgeons,  and  $40  for  mates.  As  depreciation  in 
the  Continental  currency  increased,  even  this  pay  became 
inadequate  to  their  support.  August  24, 1780,  as  an  induce- 
ment to  officers  to  continue  in  the  service  to  the  end  of  the 
war,  Congress  had  devised  and  established  a  system  of  half- 
pay  and  commutation  at  the  end  of  the  war,  which  was  so 
amended  as  to  benefit  widows  and  orphans,  but  in  none  of 
these  acts  was  the  hospital  department  or  surgeons  and  mates 
included.  The  schedule  of  pay  adopted  by  Congress  in  1780, 
therefore,  but  slightly  improved  the  medical  department,  and 
did  not,  as  was  expected  it  would,  include  medical  officers 
among  those  entitled  to  half  pay,  etc.  But  on  July  17, 1781, 
a  law  was  passed  placing  surgeons  and  surgeons'  mates  upon 
an  equal  footing  with  other  officers  of  -similar  grade. 

Virginia,  with  her  immense  territory  of  unoccupied  lands, 
early  made  liberal  provisions  for  disposing  of  it  as  a  bounty  or 
as  land  grants  to  her  soldiers,  including  surgeons  and  mates 
who  served  to  the  close  of  the  war  either  in  her  army  or 
navy.  This  State  finally  ceded  all  her  western  lands  to  the 
United  States. 

About  70  surgeons  and  surgeons'  mates  received  land  from 
Virginia  for  services  rendered  in  the  Revolutionary  war.1 

Dr.  Philip  Turner,  surgeon-general  of  the  hospital  in  the  eastern  depart- 
ment. 

Dr.  William  Burnet,  physician  and  surgeon-general  of  the  army  in  the 
eastern  department. 

Dr.  Jonathan  Potts,  deputy  director-general  of  the  hospital  in  the  north- 
ern department. 

Dr.  Malachi  Treat,  physician-general,  ditto. 

Dr.  Forgue,  surgeon-general,  ditto. 

Dr.  John  Bartlett,  physician  and  surgeon-general  of  the  army  of  the 
northern  department. 

1  List  of  physicians  known  to  have  received  land  from  the  State  of  Vir- 
ginia— 

Alexander,  Archibald,  Contin'tal  Surg.  Brown,  Joseph,  Continental  Surgeon. 

Alexander,  Geo.  D.,  "  "  Brown,  Wm.,  "  " 

Baldwin,  Cornelius,  "  Calvert,  Jonathan,  Surgeon's  Mate. 

Urodie,  Ludovick,  Stnte  Surgeon.  Carter,  Thomas,  State  Surgeon. 

Brown,  Daniel,  Continental  Surgeon.  Carter,  Win.,  Sr.,  Continental  Surgeon. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


75 


From  this  time  forward,  the  medical  department  had 
fewer  annoyances,  because  of  the  better  defined  rules  and 
greater  familiarity  with  duties ;  the  higher  standard  of 
qualification  demanded  for  surgeons  and  surgeons'  mates  in 
the  regimental  and  hospital  departments,  also  adding  greatly 
both  to  efficiency  and  harmony. 

There  was,  however,  much  suffering  in  the  army,  and  also 
in  the  hospital  department,  during  the  year  1777-78,  chiefly 
from  scarcity  of  funds  and  deficient  supplies  of  all  kinds. 
Those  were  without  exaggeration  the  dark  years  of  the  Revo- 
lution. But  the  fortitude  and  determination  of  the  people 
were  equal  to  the  crisis.  Nothing  is  so  difficult  as  a  begin- 
ning. The  machinery  for  recruiting  and  supporting  armies 
in  the  field  was  now  getting  into  full  operation,  so  that  final 
success  depended  upon  good  generalship  and  the  wisdom  of 
Congress.  If  any  army  and  country  ever  possessed  these, 


Choplin,  Benj.,  Surg.  Navy. 

Christie,  Thomas,  Continental  Surgeon. 

Clements,  Mace, 

Craik,  James,  "  " 

Davis,  Joseph,  ''  " 

De  Benneville,  Daniel,  " 

Dixon,  Anthony, 

Dixon,  Anthony  F. ,  State  Surg. 

Draper,  George,  Continental  Surgeon. 

Duff,  Edward,  " 

Evans,  George, 

Fullerton,  Humphrey,  " 

Giilt,  John  M., 

Gait,  Patrick,  " 

Gay,  Samuel,  " 

Gould,  David,  " 

Graham,  Stephen,  Hosp.  Mate. 

Green,  Charles,  State  Surg. 

Greer,  Charles,  Surg.  Navy. 

Greer,  Charles,  Continental  Surgeon. 

Griffith,  David,  Cont'l  Surg.  and  Chap. 

Hamra,  Valentine,  State  Surg. 

Hay,  Joseph,  "          " 

Holmes,  David,  Continental  Surgeon. 

Hunter,  George,  Surg.  Navy. 

Irvine,  Matthew,  Continental  Surgeon. 

Julian,  John,  "  " 

Lendrum,  Thos.,  Surg.  Mate  State  Navy. 

Livingston,  Justice,  Surg.  Navy. 


Lyons,  John,  Surg.  Mate  State  Navy. 

Macky,  Robert,  Continental  Surgeon. 

McClurg,  Walter,  Surg.  Navy. 

McMechen,  TVra.,  Continental  Surgeon. 

Mkldleton,  Bassett,         " 

Monroe,  George, 

Pell,  Joseph  S.,  Surg.  Navy. 

Pelham,  Wm  ,  Continental  Surgeon. 

Pitt,  John,  Surg.  Navy. 

Pope,  Matthew,  State  Surg. 

Pratt,  Shuball,  Continental  Surgeon. 

Quinlan,   Joseph,         " 

Rumsny,  John, 

Ray,  Andre,  State  Surg. 

Richman,  Wm.,  Col.  Continental  Army. 

Roberts,  John,  State  Surg. 

Rose,  Robert,  Continental  Surgeon. 

Rumney,  Wm.,          " 

Seigle,  Frederick,     "  " 

Selden,  Wilson  C.,  State  Surg. 

Sharpless,  John,  Surg.  Navy. 

Shinner,  Alex.,  Continental  Surgeon. 

Slanter,  Augustin,       " 

Smith,  Samuel, 

Snead,  Robert,  Surg.  Navy. 

Swoope,  John,      "         " 

Taylor,  Charles,  Continental  Surgeon. 

Trezvant,  John, 

Wallace,  James, 


76  MEDICAL   MEN 

America  was  favored  with  them  to  an  unexampled  degree. 
All  subsequent  legislation  upon  hospital  matters  was  in  the 
direction  of  perfecting  plans  already  inaugurated,  the  details 
of  which  may  be  found  in  the  Journals  of  Congress.  The 
separation  of  the  purveying  from  the  hospital  management 
was  an  important  step  in  giving  confidence  to  this  branch 
of  the  service. 

From  what  has  been  said,  I  trust  you  may  be  able  to 
gather  some  idea  of  the  difficulties  that  at  first  surrounded 
the  surgeons  of  the  Revolution,  and  the  steps  which  led  up 
to  the  systematic  organization  now  existing  in  the  medical 
department  of  the  United  States  Army. 

Of  course,  in  the  hundred  years  just  passed,  there  have 
been  many  amendatory  enactments  and  changes  to  bring  the 
latter  body  to  its  present  efficiency,  which  is  not  excelled  by 
any  similar  organization  in  the  world,  and  which  has  re- 
ceived repeated  compliments  from  the  profession  and  govern- 
ments in  Europe. 

Large  hospitals  were  established  in  the  vicinity  of  New 
York,  and  a  continental  hospital  was  erected  at  Providence, 
R.  L,  and  the  college  building  used.  A  general  hospital, 
under  the  direction  of  Dr.  John  Warren,  was  opened  at  Long 
Island.  After  the  battle  of  August,  1776,  it  was  removed 
to  Hackensack  ;  one  had  already  been  established  at  Albany. 
We  find  in  a  report  of  Dr.  Shippen  to  the  board  of  war,  1st 
November,  1776,  that  there  were  in  New  Jersey  two  hospitals 
at  Amboy,  one  at  Elizabeth,  one  at  Fort  Lee,  one  at  Bruns- 
wick, and  one  at  Trenton.  In  Pennsylvania,  there  was  a 
number  of  hospitals  in  and  near  Philadelphia.  A  large 
general  hospital  was  established  at  Bethlehem,  in  which 
Dr.  Tilton  says  that  one  of  the  hospital  surgeons,  Dr.  Jos. 
Harrison,  died  of  typhoid  fever  contracted  in  the  discharge 
of  his  duties.  A  severe  form  of  this  fever  had  prevailed  in 
the  hospital  at  Trenton.  The  poor-house  at  Philadelphia 
was  used  as  an  hospital  during  the  time  the  army  lay  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  city.  There  was  also  a  general  hospital 
at  Alexandria  and  another  at  Williamsburg,  Va.  I  have 
not  had  the  time  to  look  up  dates  when  hospitals  were  estab- 
lished at  other  points  in  the  South. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  77 

It  is  not  my  purpose  to  dwell  upon  the  class  of  diseases  the 
surgeons  of  the  army  were  called  upon  to  treat,  the  skill  with 
which  they  discharged  their  duty,  or  the  character  and  suita- 
bility of  the  structures  used  as  hospitals.  To  do  this  with 
judgment  would  require  much  time  and  a  different  study 
from  that  which  I  projected  for  this  discourse.  I  may,  how- 
ever, remark  that  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  so  few  of  the 
surgeons  of  the  war  have  left  records  of  their  observations 
and  experience.  The  number  who  have  done  so  can  be 
readily  counted  on  the  fingers:  Thacher's  Military  Journal, 
Tilton  on  Military  Hospitals,  Rush's  Observations  on  Dis- 
ease in  Military  Hospitals  of  the  United  States,  and  Dr. 
Ebenezer  Beardsley's  History  of  Dysentery  in  the  22d  Con- 
necticut Regiment,  published  in  Proceedings  of  Conn.  Med. 
Society. 

The  surgeons  of  that  period  had  better  results,  considering 
their  means  and  hospital  facilities,  than  we  could  expect, 
wedded  as  they  were  to  salves,  lint,  and  the  cumbersome 
poultice  dressings. 

The  character  of  the  hospitals  themselves  is  commented 
on  to  some  extent  by  Dr.  Tilton.1 

1  "I  mention  it  not  with  a  design  to  reflect  on  any  man,  that  in  the  fatal 
year  1777,  when  the  director-general  had  the  entire  direction  of  practice  in 
our  hospitals,  as  well  as  the  whole  disposal  of  the  stores,  he  was  interested 
in  the  increase  of  sickness,  and  the  consequent  increase  of  expense,  so  far, 
at  least,  as  he  would  be  profited  by  a  greater  quantity  of  money  passing 
through  his  hands.  .  .  .  Having  no  written  instructions  as  to  the  pro- 
portion of  sick,  or  subjects  proper  for  the  general  hospital,  it  is  of  great 
importance  to  attend  carefully  to  such  observations  relative  to  this  matter 
as  we  are  able  to  collect.  The  scale  of  the  hospitals  seems  to  be  different 
in  different  services.  The  French  make  greater  hospital  provisions  than 
the  English,  and  the  English  than  the  Germans.  Yet  the  French  lose 
more  men  of  camp  diseases  than  the  English,  and  the  English  than  the 
Germans ;  and,  I  may  add,  the  Americans  have  outdone  all  their  prede- 
cessors in  the  pomp  and  extravagance  of  their  hospital  arrangements,  and 
have  surpassed  all  other  nations  in  the  destruction  and  havoc  thereby  com- 
mitted on  their  fellow-citizens.  It  would  be  shocking  to  humanity  to  relate 
the  history  of  our  general  hospital  in  the  years  1777  and  1778,  when  it 
swallowed  up  at  least  one-half  of  our  army,  owing  to  a  fatal  tendency  in 
the  system  to  throw  all  the  sick  of  the  army  into  the  general  hospital, 


78  MEDICAL   MEN 

This  occasion  will  not  afford  time  to  discuss  the  career  of 
all  the  physicians  and  surgeon-generals  and  deputies  of  the 

whence  crowds  infection,  and  consequent  mortality,  too  affecting  to  men- 
tion. .  .  : 

"The  flying  hospital,  being  only  useful  when  the  army  is  in  the  field, 
should  be  a  temporary  institution.  In  every  service,  except  the  American, 
it  is  considered  as  a  branch  of  the  general  hospital,  under  the  same  common 
head,  and  managed  by  the  same  set  of  officers,  so  as  to.  maintain  a  recipro- 
cal and  common  interest.  It  is  very  different  in  our  army,  where  a  chief 
physician  and  all  subordinate  arrangements  constitute  a  flying  hospital  of 
permanent  institution,  and,  consequently,  a  great  extravagance,  and,  cre- 
ating a  distinction  of  interests  between  the  flying  and  general  hospitals, 
might  in  worse  hands  than  at  present  be  attended  with  dangerous  conse- 
quences ;  for  the  former  may  at  pleasure,  and  without  restraint,  send  all 
their  sick  to  the  latter,  and  crowd  them,  regardless  of  consequences.  .  .  . 
The  method  he  most  approves  is  by  a  board  of  physicians  or  surgeons  of 
the  army  (who  are  certainly  the  best  judges),  and  observes  that  very  mis- 
chievous consequences  ensued  to  the  British  army  when  that  salutary 
method,  by  some  neglect,  fell  through,  and  the  appointments  were  made  by 
the  surgeons  only.  .  .  .  This  board  would  be  always  at  hand,  and 
would  have  nothing  to  divert  it  from  its  proper  duty.  It  would  specially 
prevent  any  misunderstanding  between  officers  of  the  line  and  the  hospital, 
and  bring  them  into  that  perfect  concert  and  harmony  most  advantageous 
to  the  sick.  .  .  . 

"  I  know  that  in  Britain  a  high  degree  of  civilization  and  luxury  have 
divided  the  practice  of  physic  and  surgery,  and  that,  after  the  fashion  of 
their  country,  the  British  are  in  some  measure  obliged  to  put  these  profes- 
sions into  different  hands  in  their  military  hospitals.  It  is,  however,  very 
different  in  our  country,  where  every  medical  character  practises  both  pro- 
fessions ;  and  it  is  found  by  experience,  in  our  army,  to  be  impracticable 
to  separate  these  duties.  Dr.  Jones  of  New  York,  in  his  useful  treatise 
published  at  the  commencement  of  the  war,  has  said  enough  to  dissuade  us 
from  this  error.  .  .  . 

"  And  from  a  regard  to  truth,  I  hope  to  be  pardoned  for  the  assertion,  that 
the  invidious  distinction  made,  by  the  new  arrangement  between  hospital 
physicians  and  chief  hospital  physicians,  must  be  worse  than  useless  as  well 
as  unprecedented.  .  .  . 

"The  ignorance  and  irregularities  of  the  men,  in  a  new  scene  of  life,  sub- 
ject them  to  numberless  diseases.  The  sick  flow  in  a  regular  current  to  the 
hospitals ;  these  are  crowded  so  as  to  produce  infection,  and  mortality  ensues 
too  affecting  to  be  described. 

"  Our  revolutionary  army  exemplified  this  misfortune  in  a  manner  shocking 
to  humanity.  The  flying  camp  of  1776  melted  like  snow  in  the  field ; 
dropped  like  rotten  sheep  on  their  straggling  rout  home,  where  they  commu- 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  79 

different  departments.     They  numbered  twenty-three  in  all 
to  the  close  of  the  war. 

nicated  the  camp  infection  to  their  friends  and  neighbors,  of  whom  many 

died 

"  After  the  battles  of  Brandywine,  Red  Bank,  etc.,  a  general  hospital  was 
established  in  the  College  of  Princeton,  where  I  was  a  prescribing  surgeon. 
The  sick  and  wounded  flowing  promiscuously  without  restraint  into  the  hos- 
pital, it  soon  became  infectious,  and  was  attended  with  great  mortality.  I 
caught  the  jail  fever  myself,  and  narrowly  escaped  with  my  life.  After  a 
tedious  illness  I  got  leave  to  return  home  for  the  recovery  of  my  health. 
The  enemy  occupying  Philadelphia  at  that  time,  it  became  necessary  for 
me  to  take  a  circuitous  route  to  the  State  of  Delaware  through  Bethlehem 
in  Pennsylvania.  At  Bethlehem  was  another  hospital,  and  I  found  it  con- 
venient to  rest  there  a  day  or  two.  During  my  stay  it  was  natural  to  in- 
quire into  the  state  of  their  hospital.  The  method  I  took  was  to  propose  a 
competition,  not  whose  hospital  had  done  the  most  good,  but  whose  hospital 
had  done  the  most  mischief.  I  was  requested  to  give  an  account  of  Prince- 
ton Hospital.  I  stated  with  all  the  exaggeration  I  could  with  truth,  not 
only  an  affecting  mortality  among  the  sick  and  wounded  soldiers,  but  that 
the  orderly  men,  nurses,  and  other  Attendants  in  the  hospital  were  liable  to 
the  infection.  That  I  had  myself  narrowly  escaped  death,  and  that  five 
other  surgeons  and  mates  had  afterwards  been  seized.  I  was  answered  that 
the  malignancy  and  mortality  of  Princeton  Hospital  bore  no  comparison 
with  theirs.  That  at  Bethlehem  not  an  orderly  man  or  nurse  escaped,  and 
but  few  of  the  surgeons.  That  one  surgeon,  Jas.  Harrison,  a  fine  young 
fellow,  distinguished  for  his  assiduity,  had  died.  And  to  give  me  some  idea 
of  the  mortality  of  their  hospital,  one  of  the  surgeons  asked  me  if  1  were 
acquainted  with  that  fine  volunteer  regiment  of  Virginia,  commanded,  I 
think,  by  Col.  Gibson  ?  I  answered  I  knew  it  only  by  reputation.  He  then 
went  on  to  say  that  forty  of  that  regiment  had  come  to  their  hospital,  and 
then  asked  me  how  many  I  supposed  would  ever  join  the  regiment  ?  I 
guessed  a  third  or  fourth  part.  He  declared  solemnly  that  not  three  would 
ever  return,  that  one  man  had  joined  his  regiment,  that  another  was  con- 
valescent and  might  possibly  recover,  but  that  the  only  remaining  one  be- 
sides was  in  the  last  stage  of  the  colliquative  flux  and  must  soon  die.  I 
was  obliged  to  acknowledge  the  hospital  at  Bethlehem  had  been  more  fatal 
than  at  Princeton.  .  .  .  Many  melancholy  instances  might  be  adduced 
of  infection  in  the  American  encampment.  I  will  mention  one.  In  the 
year  1776,  when  the  army  was  encamped  in  the  State  of  New  York,  our  raw 
and  undisciplined  condition  at  that  time  subjected  the  soldiers  to  great 
irregularity.  Besides  a  great  loss  and  want  of  clothing,  the  camp  became 
especially  filthy.  All  manner  of  excrementitious  matter  was  scattered  in- 
discriminately through  the  camp,  insomuch  that  you  were  offended  by  a  dis- 
agreeable smell  almost  everywhere  within  the  lines.  A  putrid  diarrhoea 
was  the  consequence.  The  camp  disease,  as  it  was  called,  became  prover- 


80  MEDICAL   MEN 

Their  names  are :  Drs.  John  Bartlett,  James  Brown,  Win. 
Brown,  Nathaniel  Brownson,  Wm.  Burnett,  Benj.  Church, 
John  Cochran,  James  Craik,  Amri  R.  Cutter,  Peter  Fays- 
soux,  Isaac  Foster,  Walter  Jones,  Adam  Kuhn,  Charles 
McKnight,  John  Morgan,  David  Oliphant,  Jonathan  Potts, 
Benjamin  Rush,  Wm.  Shippen,  Samuel  Stringer,  Malaohi 
Treat,  and  Philip  Turner. 

Bartlett,  John.  Appointed  by  Congress  April  11,  1777, 
to  be  physician  and  surgeon-general  of  the  army  in  the 
northern  department.  There  was  a  Dr.  Bartlett  at  New- 

bial.  Many  died,  melting  as  it  were  and  running  off  by  the  bowels.  Medi- 
cine answered  little  or  no  purpose.  A  billet  in  the  country  was  only  to  be 
relied  upon.  When  the  enemy  moved  up  the  East  River,  our  army  moved 
to  White  Plains,  and  left  their  infectious  camp  and  the  attendant  diseases 
behind  them.  It  was  remarkable  during  this  disorderly  campaign,  before 
our  officers  and  men  could  be  reduced  to  strict  discipline  and  order,  the 
army  was  always  more  healthy  when  in  motion  than  in  fixed  camps.  .  . 

"It  is  impossible  to  account  for  the  obstinacy  and  fatality  of  those  bowel 
complaints  which  affected  the  soldiers,  neither  from  the  nature  of  the  clime 
or  soil,  but  from  a  poisonous  infection.  ...  I  have  no  register  or  record 
from  whence  to  prove  the  proportion  of  deaths  in  the  American  army,  but 
have  no  hesitation  in  declaring  it  as  my  opinion  that  we  lost  not  less  than 
from  ten  to  twenty  of  camp  diseases  for  one  by  weapons  of  the  enemy.  .  .  . 

"  Tents,  I  should  suppose,  would  be  particularly  proper  in  warm  climates 
as  well  as  in  our  warm  summer  seasons.  They  may  be  opened  at  pleasure 
so  as  to  admit  the  most  free  current  of  air.  It  is  much  easier  to  pitch  the 
number  of  tents  requisite  than  to  prepare  houses.  The  number  of  tents 
may  also  be  proportioned  to  the  number  of  sick,  so  as  to  run  no  risk  of 
crowding  them.  I  have  used  common  horseman's  tents  and  long  tents 
formed  like  the  roof  of  an  house  prepared  expressly  for  hospital  purposes. 

"  But  in  cold  climates  and  winter  seasons  some  better  protection  than  tents 
afford  may  be  necessary.  In  such  cases  the  best  hospital  I  have  ever  con- 
trived was  upon  the  plan  of  an  Indian  hut.  The  fire  was  built  in  the  midst 
of  the  ward,  without  any  chimney,  and  the  smoke  circulating  round  about 
passed  off  through  an  opening  about  four  inches  wide  in  the  ridge  of  the 
roof.  The  common  surface  of  the  earth  served  for  the  floor.  The  patients 
laid  with  their  heads  to  the  wall  round  about,  and  their  feet  were  all  turned 
to  the  fire.  The  wards  were  thus  completely  ventilated.  The  smoke  con- 
tributed to  combat  infection  without  giving  the  least  offence  to  the  patients, 
for  it  always  rose  above  their  heads  before  it  spread  abroad  in  the  ward,  and 
more  patients  could  be  crowded  with  impunity  in  such  wards  than  in  any 
other  I  have  seen  tried.  This  was  the  expedient  I  employed  in  the  hard 
winter  of  1779-80,  when  the  army  was  hutted  near  Morris  Town,  and  I  was 
well  satisfied  with  the  experiment." 


OP   THE   REVOLUTION.  81 

buryport,  who,  on  the  4th  November,  1776,  had  charge  of 
the  sick  belonging  to  the  fleet.  If  this  is  not  the  same,  I 
know  of  no  other  reference  to  him  in  the  literature  of  the 
Revolution.  In  the  reorganization  of  the  medical  corps, 
1780,  this  name  does  not  appear,  and  it  is  probable  that  he 
did  not  enter  upon  the  duty,  or  he  did  not  remain  long  in 
the  service. 

Brown,  James,  was  appointed  by  Congress  May  15,  1781, 
chief  physician  of  the  southern  army.  There  was  a  surgeon 
of  this  name  in  Capt.  James  Keats's  company  of  Minute  Men 
that  marched  from  Queen  Anne's  County,  Maryland,  Feb- 
ruary 3,  1776. 

Brown,  William,  M.D.,  was  the  son  of  the  Rev.  Richard, 
and  grandson  of  Dr.  G-ustavus  Brown,  Sr.,  of  Rich  Hills,  near 
Port  Tobacco,  Md. ;  born,  probably,  in  Haddingtonshire, 
Scotland,  where  his  grandfather  left  an  entailed  estate.  His 
education,  both  academical  and  professional,  was  obtained  at 
the  renowned  University  of  Edinburgh,  where  he  received 
his  degree  of  M.D.  in  1770.  His  thesis  was  "  De  Viribus 
Atmosphasrte."  On  returning  to  America,  he  settled  to 
practise  his  profession  in  Alexandria,  Va.,  where  he  soon 
rose  to  the  first  rank  in  his  profession.  He  was  a  man  of 
polished  manners  and  high  literary  culture,  and  was  inti- 
mately acquainted  with  Washington,  Jefferson,  Madison, 
and  the  leading  men  of  the  day.  September  20,  1776,  he 
had  been  elected  assistant  to  Dr.  Shippen.  He  had  served 
as  a  regimental  surgeon  in  Col.  Woodford's  command  of 
Virginia  troops.  He  was  elected,  upon  the  recommendation 
of  Dr.  Hugh  Mercer,  by  the  Provincial  Congress,  February 
7,  1778,  to  be  physician-general  of  the  middle  department, 
in  the  room  of  Dr.  Rush.  July  21,  1780,  he  resigned,  and 
returned  to  practice.  He  married  Miss  Catharine  Scott,  of 
Kalorama,  near  Washington  City,  by  whom  he  raised  a 
numerous  family.  One  of  his  sons,  Gustavus  Alexander, 
studied  medicine,  and  practised  a  number  of  years  in  Alex- 
andria. The  subject  of  this  notice  was  buried  at  Preston, 
the  Alexander  estate,  in  Fairfax  County,  near  Alexandria. 

Brownson,  Nathaniel,  a  physician  of  Liberty  County, 
Georgia,  a  statesman,  and  an  early  supporter  of  the  rights  of 
6 


82  MEDICAL    MEN 

his  country.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Yale  College  in  1761. 
In  1775  he  was  a  member  of  the  Provincial  Congress  ;  was 
for  some  time  a  surgeon  in  the  army ;  was  the  presiding 
officer  of  the  Legislature  of  1781,  by  which  body  he  was 
chosen  Governor  of  Georgia;  served  in  the  Revolutionary 
War ;  a  surgeon  in  the  Continental  army  ;  was  a  member  of 
the  Continental  Congress  1776-78,  and  was  speaker  of  the 
Georgia  House  of  Representatives  in  1788  ;  was  president  of 
the  Senate  in  1789-91,  and  member  of  the  Convention  that 
formed  the  State  Constitution. 

Burnett,  William,  was  the  son  of  Ichabod  Burnett,  a  dis- 
tinguished physician  of  Elizabethtown,  New  Jersey.  After 
graduating  at  Nassau  Hall  in  1749,  he  studied  medicine  with 
Dr.  Staats,  of  New  York,  and  had  commenced  practice  in 
his  parent  State;  but  the  trouble  with  the  mother  country 
coming,  he  relinquished  a  lucrative  business,  and  entered 
actively  into  the  political  movements  of  the  day.  He  was 
chairman  of  the  Committee  of  Public  Safety.  In  1775  he 
was  superintendent  of  a  military  hospital  established  on  his 
own  responsibility  at  Newark.  In  the  winter  of  1776  he 
was  elected  member  of  the  Continental  Congress.  On  the 
llth  October,  1777,  he  was  appointed  by  Congress  to  be 
physician  and  surgeon -general  of  the  army  in  the  eastern 
department ;  he  accordingly  resigned  his  seat  in  Congress, 
and  entered  upon  the  arduous  duty,  which  he  continued  to 
discharge  till  the  close  of  the  war,  1783.  He  dined  with 
Gen.  Arnold  in  the  evening  that  Maj.  Andre  was  arrested. 
At  the  close  of  the  war,  the  doctor  returned  to  his  family, 
and  devoted  himself  to  his  profession  and  agricultural  pur- 
suits. Soon  after  he  was  appointed  presiding  Judge  of  the 
Court  of  Common  Pleas  by  the  Legislature  of  New  Jersey, 
and  was  also  elected  President  of  the  State  Medical  Society. 
He  was  a  polished  classical  scholar,  and  was  esteemed  as  a 
gentleman  and  Christian.  Died  October  7,  1791.  The  epi- 
taph upon  his  tombstone  reads  thus:  "In  all  his  public  ser- 
vices he  exhibited  in  the  cause  of  his  beloved  country  un- 
shaken firmness,  zeal,  patriotism,  and  fidelity." 

Cochran,  John,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Chester  Co.,  Pa.,  in  1730. 
His  father,  a  farmer,  came  from  the  north  of  Ireland.  He 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  83 

never  received  a  collegiate  education,  but  at  an  early  day 
began  to  study  physic  in  the  office  of  Dr.  Thomson  of  Lan- 
caster. In  the  French  war,  which  began  1755,  he  served  as 
a  surgeon's  mate  in  the  hospital  department.  At  the  close  of 
the  war  he  settled  in  Albany,  and  married  Gertrude  Schuyler, 
the  only  sister  of  Gen.  Schuyler.  He  soon  removed  to  New 
Brunswick,  New  Jersey.  On  the  recommendation  of  AVash- 
ington  he  was  appointed  April  11,  1777,  physician  and  sur- 
geon-general in  the  Middle  Department,  and  in  1781  Director- 
General  of  the  hospitals  in  the  United  States.  He  was 
eminently  distinguished  as  a  practitioner  of  medicine  and 
surgery.  After  peace  he  removed  to  New  York,  where 
Washington  nominated  him  Commissioner  of  Loans.  He 
died  at  Palestine,  Montgomery  Co.,  April  6,  1807. 

Craik,  James,  M.D.,  was  a  native  of  Scotland,  where  he 
received  his  education  for  the  medical  service  of  the  British 
army.  He  came  to  America  with  Gen.  Braddock,  and  ac- 
companied the  youthful  Washington  in  his  expedition 
against  the  French  and  Indians  in  1754,  and  returned  in 
safety  after  the  battle  of  the  Meadows  and  the  surrender  of 
Fort  Necessity.  In  1755  he  was  a  surgeon  to  Braddock's 
expedition  through  the  wilderness,  and  dressed  the  wounds 
of  the  dying  general  on  the  9th  day  of  July,  after  his  dis- 
astrous defeat  at  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  and  stood  by  the  side  of 
Washington  while  he  read  the  funeral  service.  At  the  close 

O 

of  the  French  war  he  settled  at  Norfolk,  Va.,  where  he  prac- 
tised for  a  time  with  high  repute.  A  few  years  later  he  re- 
moved to  Winchester,  Va.,  and  subsequently  to  Port  Tobacco, 
Md.,  where  he  was  in  1767.  When  the  Revolution  began, 
Gen.  Washington,  who  was  his  fast  friend,  appointed  him  to 
the  medical  department  of  the  army,  in  which  he  rose  to  the 
first  rank.  On  the  8d  of  March,  1781,  he  was  elected  by 
Congress  to  be  chief  physician  and  surgeon  of  the  army.  In 
1798,  when  war  was  threatened  with  France,  he  was  appointed 
physician-general  to  the  army,  a  position  which  he  occupied 
only  a  few  years,  returning  to  his  home  near  Mt.  Vernon. 
Through  a  long  life  he  was  the  devoted  and  familiar  friend 
of  the  immortal  Washington,  and  had  the  melancholy  satis- 
faction of  being  present  and  rendering  all  the  aid  he  could 


84  '    MEDICAL   MEN 

in  that  great  man's  last  hours.  Washington  distinguished 
him  in  his  will  in  these  terms:  "My  compatriot  in  arms, 
my  old  and  intimate  friend."  As  a  physician  he  was  greatly 
distinguished  by  his  skill  and  success,  and  his  professional 
merits  were  highly  and  justly  appreciated.  Died  at  his 
residence  in  Fairfax  Co.,  Feb.  6,  1814,  aged  84  years. 

Church,  Benjamin,  was  the  great-grandson  of  Col.  Benja- 
min Church,  who  was  distinguished  in  the  Indian  wars. 
Dr.  Church  was  born  at  Newport,  R.  L,  Aug.  24,1734.  He 
graduated  at  Harvard  University  in  1754,  and  studied  medi- 
cine with  Dr.  Pynchon.  He  also  studied  in  London,  and 
after  his  return  to  Boston  became  eminent  as  a  surgeon.  He 
was  a  man  of  decided  talent.  As  a  skilful  and  dexterous 
operator  in  surgery  he  was  inferior  to  none  of  his  contempo- 
raries in  New  England,  and  as  a  general  practitioner  he  en- 
joyed a  distinguished  reputation.  At  the  commencement  of 
the  Revolutidn  he  was  appointed,  Thursday,  July  27,  1775, 
by  Congress  to  be  the  iirst  Director-General  and  Physician- 
in-Chief  in  the  hospital  department.  For  several  years  pre- 
ceding he  was  a  conspicuous  and  noted  whig.  Dr.  Church  de- 
livered an  oration  in  Boston  after  the  massacre,  which  was 
fervid  with  impassioned  denunciation  of  the  outrages  com- 
mitted by  the  soldiery  of  Great  Britain.  The  address  was 
characteristic  of  the  oratory  of  that  day.  He  was  selected 
by  the  Prov.  Congress  in  1775  to  proceed  to  Philadelphia  tlnd 
represent  the  cause  of  the  people  of  Massachusetts,  and  to 
request  advice  as  to  the  course  to  pursue.  This  illustrates 
the  great  confidence  that  his  associates  reposed  in  his  integ- 
rity and  ability.  After  fulfilling  this  important  duty,  he 
was  appointed  by  the  Prov.  Congress  to  receive  and  welcome 
the  new  commander-in-chief,  Gen.  Washington,  on  his  arrival 
at  Cambridge,  a  trust  which  he  performed  with  much  grace 
and  dignity.  The  doctor  enjoyed  in  society  the  highest  posi- 
tion, both  on  account  of  his  great  ability  as  a  surgeon  and 
physician,  and  of  his  distinguished  acquirements,  affability, 
and  scholarship. 

Dr.  Church  was,  in  1774,  a  most  influential  member  of  the 
Massachusetts  Provincial  Congress  and  Council  of  Safety. 

In  Sept.  1775,  he  indiscreetly,  if  not  traitorously,  wrote 


OF    THE   REVOLUTION.  85 

a  letter  in  cipher  to  Major  Cain,  then  within  the  enemy's 
lines  in  Boston,  which  he  attempted  to  convey  to  him  by 
the  co-operation  of  a  woman.  The  letter  was  captured  and 
brought  to  Gen.  Washington,  who  had  it  deciphered  and  the 
woman  arrested.  At  first  she  refused  to  disclose  the  author, 
but  finally  named  Dr.  Church.  This  and  other  suspicious 
circumstances  caused  him  to  be  tried  by  court-martial,  held 
at  Cambridge,  Oct.  3,  1775,  of  which  General  Washington 
was  president.  His  plea  was  that  it  was  an  innocent  device 
to  deceive  and  draw  from  the  enemy  some  information  of 
benefit  to  the  public.  He  was,  however,  convicted  of  hold- 
ing criminal  correspondence  with  the  enemy,  and  imprisoned 
at  Cambridge.  Gen.  Washington,  in  conveying  the  facts  to 
Congress,  began  thus:  "  I  have  now  a  painful,  though  a  neces- 
sary duty  to  perform  respecting  Dr.  Church,  the  Director  of 
the  hospital."  His  defence  before  the  court  was  considered 
as  a  specimen  of  brilliant  talents  and  ingenuity.  "Con- 
firmed," said  he,  "I  stand  prepared  for  your  honest  search- 
ings.  The  warmest  bosom  does  not  flame  with  a  brighter 
zeal  for  the  security,  happiness,  and  liberty  of  America,  than 
mine."  So  high  was  party  zeal,  and  such  the  jealousy  and 
prejudice  of  the  day,  that  a  torrent  of  indignation  was  at 
hand  to  sweep  from  the  land  every  guilty  and  suspected 
character.  He  was  convicted  by  the  court-martial,  expelled 
from  the  Provincial  Congress,  an^remanded  to  prison.  After 
remaining  in  prison  for  a  year  and  a  half,  he  was  allowed  to 
depart  to  the  West  Indies,  but  the  vessel  in  which  he  sailed 
was  lost  at  sea- May  1,  1776.  (Thacher.} 

Cutter,  Ammi  Ruhamah,  M.D.,  M.M.S.S.,  was  born  at 
Yarmouth,  in  Maine,  in  1734.  His  father  was  a  graduate 
of  Cambridge  in  1725,  and  was  the  first  minister  of  Yar- 
mouth, he  was  also  one  of  the  chaplains  of  a  New  England 
regiment  at  the  siege  of  Louisburg  in  1745.  His  mother's 
name  was  Bradbury.  She  was  from  Newport,  in  the  county 
of  Essex,  and  was  a  pious  and  well-educated  woman.  At 
the  age  of  twelve  years,  Dr.  Cutter  was  sent  to  be  educated 
under  the  care  of  a  clergyman  at  Cambridge.  He  entered 
Harvard  College  in  1748,  and  graduated  in  1752.  He  com- 
menced the  study  of  medicine  under  the  care  of  Dr.  Clement 


86  MEDICAL   MEN 

Jackson,  an  eminent  physician  in  Portsmouth,  in  1752,  and 
immediately  on  being  admitted  to  practice,  was  appointed 
surgeon  of  a  body  of  Rangers,  under  the  celebrated  Robert 
Rodgers  in  the  Indian  war  of  1755.  In  1758,  he  was  ap- 
pointed surgeon  in  the  ]N"ew  Hampshire  troops  in  the  expedi- 
tion against  Louisburg.  While  in  this  service  he  came  near 
falling  the  victim  of  smallpox.  On  the  llth  of  April,  1777, 
Dr.  Cutter  was  appointed  physician  general  of  the  hospital 
in  the  eastern  department.  To  accept  this  charge  he  relin- 
quished a  lucrative  practice  and  the  care  of  a  large  family  of 
ten  children.  His  appointment  was  dated  at  Philadelphia, 
April  15,  1777;  he  was  stationed  at  Fishkill,  where  he  ren- 
dered important  service  in  remodelling  the  hospital  depart- 
ment, which  had  been  sadly  neglected.  In  the  beginning  of 
1778,  he  retired  to  Portsmouth  and  resumed  his  usual  practice. 
The  doctor  was  a  decided  whig.  The  only  public  office  he 
held  politically,  was  a  membership  in  the  £L  H.  Constitu- 
tional Convention.  He  received  the  honorary  degree  of  M.D. 
from  Harvard.  He  also  was  an  honorary  member  of  the 
Mass.  Medical  and  Humane  Society,  and  was  long  President 
of  the  1ST.  H.  Med.  Soc.  Dr.  Cutter's  intellectual  powers 
were  of  a  high  order,  with  a  retentive  memory,  an  under- 
standing which  rarely  erred  in  its  decisions,  and  a  will  whose 
energy  seldom  failed  of  accomplishing  its  determinations. 
He  died  suddenly  in  the  midst  of  his  family  on  the  8th  of 
Dec.,  1819,  aged  85.  (Thache.r.} 

Fayssoux,  Peter,  Hon.,  M.D.,  a  native  of  South  Carolina, 
was  one  of  the  earliest  graduates  from  that  State  at  the 
Univ.  of  Edinburgh,  graduating  in  1769,  his  thesis  being 
"De  Tetano."  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Revolution,  he 
espoused  with  zeal  the  cause  of  his  country,  and  was  one  of 
the  prominent  characters  in  that  period.  On  Saturday  June 
3,  1775,  the  Prov.  Cong,  of  South  Carolina  Resolved,  That, 
whenever  our  Continental  or  Provincial  Council  shall  decree 
it  necessary,  we  will  go  forth  and  be  ready  to  sacrifice  our 
lives  and  fortunes  to  secure  her  freedom.  And  we  will  hold 
all  those  persons  inimical  to  the  liberties  of  the  colonies  who 
shall  refuse  to  subscribe  to  this  association."  Dr.  F.  was 
appointed  among  others  to  receive  the  signatures  of  all  the 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  87 

inhabitants  of  Charleston,  and  report  the  names  of  all  those 
who  refused  to  sign  (June  6, 1775).  In  a  letter  to  Dr.  Ramsay, 
he  depicts  in  language  of  the  most  forcible  character  the 
suffering  of  the  American  soldiers  of  S.  C.  who  were  held  in 
captivity  by  the  British.  On  May  15, 1781,  he  was  appointed 
chief  physician  of  the  hospital  in  the  southern  department.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  council  of  S.  C.  Dr.  Fayssoux  was  one 
•of  the  Presidents  of  the  Med.  Soc.  of  S.  C.  He  was  esteemed 
as  a  man  of  great  professional  merit,  and  occupied  a  high 
place  in  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen.  (Ramsay's  Review  of 
Medicine.} 

Fague  or  Forgue  (Dr.),  a  Frenchman  who  settled  in  Fair- 
field  in  Conn.  Gen.  Charles  Lee,  in  a  letter  to  the  President 
of  Congress  dated  Feb.  22,  1776,  recommending  his  appoint- 
ment, speaks  of  him  as  follows:  "He  is  a  gentleman  of 
ability,  probity,  and  skill  in  his  profession.  He  knows 
Canada  very  well,  and  is  esteemed  there.  He  speaks  French 
and  English  with  great  fluency."  In  the  Jour,  of  Cong., 
April  11,  1777,  we  find  his  appointment,  under  the  name 
of  Forgue,  to  be  surgeon-general  to  the  hospital  in  the  north- 
ern department.  It  is  probable  that  this  is  the  same  man,  a 
typographical  error  having  occurred.  He  may  have  died  in 
the  service.  I  find  no  further  mention  of  his  name. 

Foster,  Isaac,  was  a  physician  in  high  standing,  and  in 
large  practice  in  the  village  of  Charlestown,Mass.,  when  the 
siege  of  Boston  commenced.  He  immediately  abandoned 
his  practice  and  reported  to  the  army  at  Cambridge,  was 
appointed  by  Prov.  Cong,  of  Mass,  senior  hospital  surgeon, 
and  assigned  to  the  charge  of  the  hospital  at  Cambridge. 
Upon  the  organization  of  the  Continental  army,  he  was  re- 
tained as  a  surgeon  and  placed  in  charge  of  the  general 
hospital  in  N.  Y.  City,  and  had  been  in  service  ever  since, 
having  gained  an  excellent  reputation  as  an  efficient  officer. 

Jones,  Walter,  M.D.,  a  physician  of  brilliant  talents  and 
great  ability,  was  born  in  Northampton  Co.,  Va.  After  re- 
ceiving his  academic  education  and  graduating  at  William 
and  Mary's  College,  Va.,  in  1760,  he  adopted  medicine  as  a 
profession,  and  repaired  to  the  University  at  Edinburgh  to 
prosecute  his  studies.  There  he  was  held  in  high  esteem  by 


88  MEDICAL   MEN 

Cullen  and  other  professors  of  the  institution.  He  graduated 
in  1769.  The  subject  of  his  thesis  was  "  De  Dysenteria." 
On  his  return  to  his  native  country,  he  'settled  to  practice 
in  Northumberland  Co.,  Va.,  where  he  sustained  through 
life  the  highest  standing,  both  as  a  physician  and  a  scholar. 
April  11, 1777,  he  was  elected  by  Congress,  physician-general 
to  the  hospital  in  the  middle  department.  This  position  he 
held  only  two  months,  as  he  resigned  on  the  1st  of  July 
following.  He  was  elected  a  representative  in  Congress, 
and  served  in  1797-99,  and  again  in  1803-11.  But  the  most 
of  his  life  was  devoted  to  the  duties  of  his  profession,  of 
which  he  was  a  great  ornament.  "  He  was,"  says  a  distin- 
guished gentleman,  who, for  sometime  enjoyed  his  acquaint- 
ance, "  for  the  variety  and  extent  of  his  learning,  the  original- 
ity and  strength  of  his  mind,  the  sagacity  of  his  observations, 
and  captivating  powers  of  conversation,  one  of  the  most 
extraordinary  men  I  have  ever  known.  He  seemed  to  pos- 
sess instinctively,  the  faculty  of  discerning  the  hidden  cause 
of  disease,  and  applying  with  promptness  and  decision  pecu- 
liar to  himself  the  appropriate  remedies."  His  son  Walter 
was  many  years  at  the  head  of  the  bar  in  Washington,  D.  C. 
He  died  on  his  plantation  in  Northumberland  Co.,  Va.,Dec. 
31,1815. 

Kuhn,  Adam,  M.D.,  was  the  son  of  Dr.  Adam  Simon 
Kuhn;  born  at  Germantown,  Pa.,  Nov.  1741,  and  died  July 
5, 1817,  at  the  age  of  76.  He  received  a  classical  education, 
and  studied  medicine  with  his  father,  until  the  year  1761, 
when  he  sailed  for  Europe,  and  entered  the  University  of 
Upsal,  under  the  celebrated  Linnaeus;  after  studying  there 
one  year  he  matriculated  at  Edinburgh,  whence  he  received 
his  medical  degree  June  12,1767;  the  subject  of  his  thesis  was 
"De  Lavatione  Frigida."  On  his  return  to  Philadelphia  the 
following  year,  he  was  appointed  Professor  of  Materia  Medica 
in  the  College  of  Philadelphia,  and  subsequently  to  the  chair 
of  Theory  and  Practice  of  Medicine  in  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania.  He  was  on  the  Committee  of  Safety  and  also 
the  Board  of  Examining  Surgeons,  and  on  July  8,  1776,  he 
was  appointed  physician  and  director  general  of  the  hospital 
for  the  New  Jersey  troops. 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  89 

McKnight,  Chas.  The  son  of  Chas.  McKnight,  a  native 
of  Ireland,  was  born  Oct.  10,  1750,  in  Cranberry,  N.  J.  He 
graduated  at  Princeton  in  1771,  after  which  he  began  the 
study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  Shippen  at  Philadelphia.  But 
before  he  had  entirely  completed  his  studies,  the  Revolu- 
tionary war  began,  and  he  entered  the  army  as  a  surgeon, 
where  his  abilities  soon  attracted  the  attention  of  the  com- 
mander-in-chief,  and  procured  his  appointment  as  senior  sur- 
geon of  the  Flying  Hospital  of  the  middle  department  in 
April,  1777.  Feb.  21, 1778,  Congress  elected  him  Assistant 
Surgeon-General  for  the  hospital  in  the  middle  department  in 
the  room  of  Dr.  Brown,  promoted,  and  in  1780,  he  was  elected 
chief  hospital  physician.  In  the  discharge  of  the  arduous 
duties  of  his  positions,  his  talents  and  indefatigable  zeal  were 
equally  conspicuous.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  war  he  re- 
moved to  New  York,  and  married  Mrs.  Litchfield,  the  only 
daughter  of  the  Hon.  John  Scott.  He  delivered  medical 
lectures  to  a  numerous  and  attentive  class  on  anatomy  and 
surgery.  Although  eminent  as  a  physician,  he  was  specially 
distinguished  as  a  practical  surgeon.  With  one  exception 
he  was  the  most  eminent  of  the  day.  The  doctor  was  one 
of  the  earliest  physicians  in  New  York  to  use  a  carriage  as 
a  conveyance  in  his  rounds  to  visit  patients.  His  only  pub- 
lication was  a  report  of  a  case  of  extra-uterine  abdominal 
foetus  successfully  removed  by  an  operation,  which  appeared 
in  the  London  Medical  Observations  and  Inquiries,  vol.  iv. 
The  preparation  itself  was  found  many  years  afterwards 
preserved  in  a  glass  jar  lying  on  the  ground  in  a  cellar  in 
New  York.  He  continued  actively  to  teach  and  practise 
until  his  forty-first  year,  when  he  was  cut  oft'  by  a  pneu- 
monic affection.  He  was  Professor  of  Anatomy  and  Surgery 
in  Columbia  College,  N.  Y.  The  doctor  died  Nov.  16, 1791. 
Morgan,  John,  M.D.,  F.R.S.,  was  born  in  the  city  of  Phila- 
delphia 1735.  Pie  acquired  the  rudiments  of  his  classical 
education  at  the  Rev.  Dr.  Finley's  Academy  in  Nottingham, 
and  finished  his  studies  in  the  College  of  Philadelphia,  gradu- 
ating in  1757,  his  degree  being  the  first  literary  honor  con- 
ferred by  that  institution.  He  then  began  the  study  of 
medicine  with  Dr.  John  Redman  of  Philadelphia.  After 


90  MEDICAL   MEN 

finishing  his  medical  studies,  he  entered  the  service  of  his 
country  as  a  surgeon  and  lieutenant  in  the  provincial  troops 
of  Pennsylvania  in  the  last  war  which  Britain  and  America 
carried  on  against  France.  In  1760  he  left  the  army  and 
sailed  for  Europe  with  a  view  to  prosecute  his  studies  in 
medicine.  He  attended  the  lectures  and  dissections  of  the 
celehrated  Wm.  Hunter,  and  afterwards  spent  two  years  in 
attending  the  lectures  of  the  Professors  at  Edinburgh  Uni- 
versity, where  he  graduated  in  1763;  his  thesis  was  "De 
Confectione  Puris."  Here  both  of  the  Monros,  Cullen, 
Rutherford,  Whyth,  and  Hope  were  his  masters.  He  after- 
wards visited  Paris,  Holland,  and  Italy.  While  in  Paris  he 
attended  the  lectures  and  dissections  of  Mr.  Sue.  While  in 
Europe  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  Voltaire  at  Geneva,  and 
of  the  celebrated  Morgagni,  at  Padua,  and  others  of  the  first 
medical  and  literary  character.  On  his  return  to  London  he 
was  elected  Fellow  of  the  Royal  Society.  He  was  a  licen- 
tiate of  the  College  of  Physicians  in  London,  and  a  member 
of  the  College  of  Physicians  in  Edinburgh.  He  returned 
to  America  loaded  with  literary  honors,  and  was  received 
with  open  arms  by  his  fellow  citizens.  Immediately  after 
his  arrival  he  was  appointed  Professor  of  the  Theory  and 
Practice  of  Medicine,  and  was  the  originator  of  the  design 
to  connect  a  medical  school  with  the  College  of  Philadelphia. 
He  was  also  an  active  member  in  the  establishment  of  the 
American  Philosophical  Society.  By  the  Continental  Con- 
gress he  was  appointed  (Oct.  17,  1775)  Director  General  and 
Physician-in-Chief  of  the  hospital  in  the  American  army,  in 
the  place  of  Dr.  Church. 

He  immediately  repaired  to  Cambridge,  and  by  the  direc- 
tion of  Washington  commenced  a  new  arrangement  of  the 
hospital  department,  and  instituted  examinations  of  the 
surgeons  and  mates  of  the  hospital  and  army.  By  reason  of 
unjust  clamors  he  was  dismissed  from  service  Jan.  9,  1777. 
A  committee  of  Congress  afterwards  investigated  his  case, 
and  honorably  acquitted  him  of  all  charges.  He  was  elected 
an  honorary  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society. 
He  wrote  a  number  of  works  of  importance  and  merit.  The 
doctor  died  in  Philadelphia  Oct.  15,  1789,  aged  54. 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  91 

Oliphant,  David,  M.D.,  was  a  prominent  physician  of  South 
Carolina.  In  Nov.  16,  1775,  he  was  elected  to  the  Council 
of  Safety  of  Charleston,  S.  C.  In  the  same  year  he  was  a 
member  of  the  South  Carolina  Provincial  Congress.  He  was 
also  a  member  of  the  South  Carolina  General  Assembly. 
He  was  chosen  by  Congress  Director  General  of  the  hospitals 
in  that  State.  In  1776  he  was  appointed  to  a  judgeship. 

Potts,  Jonathan,  M.D.,  was  the  descendant  of  a  distin- 
guished Pennsylvania  family  :  he  was  born  on  the  31st  Aug. 
1747.  In  company  with  Dr.  Benj.  Rush,  a  friend  and  rela- 
tion, he  set  out  from  Philadelphia  on  the  way  to  the  Uni- 
versity of  Edinburgh,  to  prosecute  the  study  of  medicine, 
having  letters  of  introduction  from  Benjamin  Franklin. 
He  did  not  remain  long,  and  on  his  return  was  married 
May  5th,  1767,  at  Reading,  Pa.,  to  Miss  Grace  Richardson. 
He  then  became  a  student  in  the  Philadelphia  Medical  Col- 
lege, and  in  the  summer  of  1768,  graduated  as  M.  B.  The 
subject  of  his  thesis  was  "De  Febribus  Interrnittentibus 
potissimurn  Tertianis." 

This  was  the  first  medical  commencement  in  America, and 
on  this  occasion  he  delivered  the  valedictory.  The  subject 
was  selected  by  Franklin,  and  was  "  The  advantage  a  medical 
student  derives  from  previous  liberal  education  in  the  other 
sciences,  particularly  Mathematics  and  Natural  Philosoph}7." 
In  1771  he  received  the  degree  of  M.D.  from  the  same  in- 
stitution. He  commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession  at 
Reading,  Pa.  In  1775  he  was  one  of  the  Committee  of  Safety 
of  Berks  Co.,  Pa.,  and  was  active  in  arousing  the  patriotism 
of  his  townsmen.  June  6,  1776,  he  was  appointed  by  Con- 
gress as  a  surgeon  for  Canada  and  Lake  George.  On  the 
llth  of  April,  1777,  he  was  elected  Deputy  Director  General 
of  the  hospital  in  the  northern  department.  Dr.  Potts  was 
a  man  of  superior  education  and  ability,  affable,  jovial,  and 
of  fine  executive  powers,  and  was  very  popular  with  the 
military 'and  medical  staff. 

Rickman,  William,  was  Physician  and  Director  General  of 
the  hospital  in  Virginia.  On  June  15,1776,  Williamsburgh 
was  chosen  as  headquarters  of  the  Continental  Hospital  in 


92  MEDICAL    MEN 

Virginia.  It  was  decided  by  the  medical  committee,  that  the 
hospital  in  Virginia  was  entirely  distinct  from  the  general 
establishment  of  hospitals,  and  that  Dr.  R.  was  not  affected 
by  any  changes  made  therein.  He  was  afterwards  Deputy 
Director  General  of  the  hospital  in  the  southern  department. 
During  his  administration  he  was  charged  with  having  neg- 
lected to  take  proper  care  of  the  Virginia  and  North  Caro- 
lina troops  at  Alexandria,  who  were  suffering  from  smallpox 
for  want  of  inoculation.  By  order  of  Congress  Dec.  20, 1777, 
he  was  suspended,  and  an  investigation  ordered,  and  he  was 
summoned  to  appear  before  the  medical  committee  of  the 
house  to  answer  charges.  On  March  7,  1778,  the  committee 
to  whom  the  matter  was  referred  reported  to  Congress  that 
he  was  entirely  innocent  of  the  charges  preferred  against 
him.  They  recommended  that  the  suspension  should  be 
taken  off,  and  that  he  be  ordered  back  to  his  post.  Congress 
so  ordered.  He  remained  in  this  capacity  until  Oct.  1780, 
when  he  was  left  out  in  the  new  arrangement  of  the  army 
pursuant  to  his  request.  (Journ.  of  Cong.,  vols.  ii.  and  iii.) 

Rush,  Benjamin,  M.D.,  was  born  at  By  berry,  fourteen 
miles  northeast  of  Philadelphia,  Dec.  24, 1745.  At  an  early 
age  he  was  sent  to  the  academy,  conducted  by  his  uncle,  Dr. 
Finley,  in  Nottingham,  Md.,  where  he  remained  eight  years. 
He  graduated  at  Princeton  in  1760,  before  he  had  attained 
the  age  of  fifteen,  and  studied  medicine  with  Drs.  Shippen 
and  John  Redman,  of  Philadelphia.  He  then  repaired  to  the 
University  of  Edinburgh  in  1766,  and  graduated  there  in 
1768.  His  thesis  was  "  De  Coetione  Ciborum  in  Ventri- 
culo."  Returning  to  Philadelphia  in  1769,  after  spending  a 
year  in  the  London  and  Paris  hospitals,  he  was  appointed  to 
the  chair  of  Chemistry  in  the  College  of  Philadelphia,  and, 
in  1791,  Professor  of  the  Institutes  and  Practice  of  Medicine 
and  Clinical  Practice.  In  1776  he  was  a  member  of  Con- 
gress, and  one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Indepen- 
dence. April  11, 1777,  he  was  elected  by  the  Continental 
Congress  Surgeon-General  of  the  hospital  in  the  middle 
department,  and  on  July  1st,  1777,  was  elected  Physician- 
General  in  the  place  of  Dr.  Jones.  In  1787  he  was  a  member 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  93 

of  the  convention  for  adopting  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States ;  and  during  the  last  fourteen  years  of  his  life  was 
treasurer  of  the  United  States  Mint.  He  was  connected  with 
many  literary  and  charitable  institutions,  and  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  Dickinson  College  at  Carlisle,  Pa.  In  1811  the 
Emperor  of  Russia  sent  him  a  gold  ring  as  a  testimony  of 
his  appreciation  of  his  medical  character.  Dr.  Rush  was 
one  of  the  most  distinguished  physicians  and  medical  writers 
our  country  has  ever  produced.  His  works  are  too  well 
known  to  need  mention  here.  They  are  characteristic  of  his 
great  learning,  keen  perception,  and  clearness  and  precision 
of  statement.  His  wife  was  Julia,  the  daughter  of  Richard 

'  O 

Stockton.  He  died  of  pleurisy,  after  an  illness  of  five  days, 
April  19, 1813.  Nine  children  survived  him. 

Shippen,  William,  Jr.,  son  of  Dr.  Wm.  Shippen,  was  horn 
in  Philadelphia  in  1736,  and  died  at  Germantown,Pa.,  July 
11,  1808,  aged  72  years.  Having  graduated  from  the  Col- 
lege of  New  Jersey  in  1754,  he  spent  the  three  following 
years  in  the  study  of  medicine  with  his  father;  and,  at  the 
age  of  twenty-one,  he  sailed  to  Europe  to  complete  his  pro- 
fessional education.  He  remained  in  London  some  time, 
devoting  special  attention  to  anatomy  and  obstetrics,  under 
the  celebrated  Hunters,  William  Hewson,  and  Sir  John 
Pringle.  But  subsequently  he  went  to  Edinburgh,  where 
he  enjoyed  the  friendship  of  Cullen  and  the  elder  Monro. 
He  graduated  from  the  University  in  1761,  his  thesis  being 
"De  Placenta  cum  Utero  Nexu."  He  travelled  in  France 
after  his  graduation ;  and,  returning  to  his  native  country 
in  1762,  he  commenced  a  course  of  private  anatomical  lec- 
tures in  Philadelphia  to  a  class  of  about  twelve  students. 
In  1765,  the  trustees  of  the  College  of  Philadelphia,  at  the 
instance  of  Drs.  Shippen  and  Morgan,  organized  a  medical 
school  in  that  institution,  to  which  these  two  distinguished 
gentlemen  were  afterwards  appointed  to  professorships.  In 
July,  1776,  he  entered  the  medical  department  of  the  Conti- 
nental army  as  chief  physician  for  the  flying  camp,  and  was 
unanimously  elected  by  the  Provincial  Congress  April  11, 
1777,  Director  General  of  all  the  hospitals  in  the  army. 


94  MEDICAL    MEN 

He  was  chosen,  October  6,  1780,  Director  General  of  the 
Army  Medical  Department,  but  in  June,  1781,  in  order  to 
give  his  entire  attention  to  his  medical  school  in  Phila- 
delphia, he  resigned  his  commission.  The  death  of  his  only 
son,  which  occurred  in  1798,  so  depressed  his  spirits,  that 
after  the  sad  event,  he  seldom  lectured  or  took  any  interest 
in  his  school.  He  held,  during  life,  several  important  official 
positions. 

Stringer,  Samuel,  was  Director  General  of  the  hospitals  in 
the  northern  department  of  the  Continental  Army,  during 
the  early  part  of  the  war.  He  was  a  native  of  Maryland, 
and  died  at  Albany,  July  11,  1817,  at  the  age  of  83  years. 
He  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Bond,  of  Philadelphia;  and 
in  1755,  was  commissioned  by  Governor  Shirley,  of  Massa- 
chusetts, an  officer  in  the  medical  department  of  the  British 
Army,  during  the  French  and  Indian  War.  He  served 
throughout  these  campaigns,  mostly  under  General  Aber- 
crombie;  and,  at  their  close,  settled  at  Albany,  where  he  sub- 
sequently married.  Upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary War  he  was  elected,  by  the  Provincial  Congress, 
August  20,  1776,  Director  General  of  the  hospital  in  the 
northern  department,  but  was  discharged  from  service  Janu- 
ary 9,  1777.  He  returned  to  Albany,  where  he  practised 
medicine  until  his  death. 

Treat,  Malachi,  was  Physician  General  of  the  hospital 
in  the  northern  department  of  the  American  Army  during 
the  Revolution,  and  died  in  New  York  of  yellow  fever,  con- 
tracted during  the  prevalence  of  an  epidemic,  while  serving 
as  health  officer  of  the  port.  He  was  a  distinguished  prac- 
titioner in  New  York  city,  where  he  received  a  commission 
in  the  medical  staft'  of  the  army  from  the  Provincial  Con- 
gress of  his  State,  in  the  early  part  of  the  Revolutionary  War. 
On  the  llth  of  April,  1777,  he  was  appointed  by  Continental 
Congress  Physician  General  of  the  hospital  in  the  northern 
department  of  the  army,  and  on  Oct.  6, 1780,  was  elected  by 
Congress  chief  hospital  physician.  Upon  the  reorganization 
of  the  army  he  resumed  practice  in  the  city  of  New  York, 
after  the  disbanding  of  the  American  troops. 


OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  95 

Turner,  Philip,  Surgeon  General  of  the  eastern  depart- 
ment of  the  army,  was  born  at  Norwich,  Connecticut,  in 
1740,  and  died  at  the  military  station  on  York  Island,  in  the 
spring  of  1815,  aged  75.  He  studied  medicine  with  Dr. 
Elisha  Tracey,  of  Norwich,  and  in  1759  he  was  appointed 
assistant  surgeon  of  a  provincial  regiment  stationed  at  Ticon- 
deroga,  commanded  by  General  Amherst.  He  continued  in 
the  army  until  the  peace  of  1763.  Upon  the  breaking  out 
of  the  Revolutionary  War  he  entered  the  American  army, 
and  was  chief  surgeon  of  the  Conn,  troops  before  Boston. 
On  April  11, 1777,  he  was  nominated  and  appointed  by  Con- 
gress Director  General  to  superintend  the  general  hospital; 
but  on  motion  of  reconsideration,  the  appointment  was  given 
to  Dr.  Shippen,  Jr.,  of  Philadelphia,  and  Dr.  Turner  was 
commissioned  Surgeon  General  of  the  eastern  department, 
which  position  he  filled  with  great  ability  until  the  close  of 
the  war.  Hostilities  having  ceased,  he  returned  to  his  native 
town  and  resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession  with  success. 
But  in  1^00,  being  unable  to  undergo  the  fatigues  of  an 
extensive  practice  on  account  of  his  advanced  years,  he  re- 
moved to  New  York.  Shortly  after  his  removal  to  New 
York  he  was  appointed  surgeon  in  the  United  States  Army, 
and  was  permanently  stationed  on  York  Island,  and  held  his 
commission  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

Had  we  time,  I  would  consider  it  desirable  to  record  the 
names  of  all  surgeons  and  surgeons'  mates,  with  the  time  of 
their  appointment,  and  their  assignment  to  duty.  But  con- 
sidering the  lateness  of  the  hour  and  the  purpose  of  the  dis- 
course, we  must  content  ourselves  with  treating  even  an  his- 
torical subject  in  a  somewhat  general  way.  I  may  add  that 
the  supply  of  competent  medical  officers  throughout  the  war 
proved  ample  to  the  .demand.  The  careful  student  of  this 
part  of  our  history  will  discover  that  any  difficulty  which 
existed  with  the  medical  directors  and  surgeons,  was  not  so 
much  their  want  of  education  or  professional  attainments, 
as  the  novelty  of  their  situation.  I  think  it  will  be  a  sur- 
prise to  you,  as  it  was  to  me,  to  find  that  of  the  physicians 
serving  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  about  one  hundred  are 


96  MEDICAL   MEN 

known  to  have  been  graduates  from  the  academical  depart- 
ments either  of  our  own  or  of  foreign  colleges.1 

The  number  of  physicans  who  took  part  in  the  political 
administration  of  affairs  in  the  different  colonies,  and  in  the 
Continental  Congress  too,  is  much  larger  than  is  generally 
supposed.  The  list  of  names  presents  an  array  of  talent 
which  is  exceedingly  gratifying  to  the  profession  of  the 
present  day,  and  must  continue  to  be  a  pleasing  reflection  to 

1  Medical  officers  in  the  Revolution  who  are  known  to  have  received  col- 
legiate degrees,  either  honorary  or  in  regular  course. 

Harvard  College  Graduates. 

Ames,  Nathaniel,  1761.  Eustis,  Wm.,  LL.D.,  1772. 

Ames,  Seth,  1764.  Fisher,  Joshua,  M.D.,  1766. 

Aspinwall,  Wm.,  1764.  Green,  Ezra,  1765. 

Bartlett,  Josiah,  1801,  M.D.  Hnyward,  Lemuel,  1768. 

Bayles,  Wm.,  1760.  Hunt,  Ebenezer,  1764. 

Brooks,  John,  1816,  Hon.,  M.D.  Jantis,  Charles,  1766. 

Childs,  Timothy,  1811,  Hon.,  M.D.  Kittredge,  Thomas,  1811. 

Church,  Benj.,  1754.  Sawyer,  Micajah,  M.D.,  1786. 

Cobb.  David,  1766.  Sergeant,  Erastus,  1811,  Hon.,  M.D. 

Crosby,  Ebenezer,  1777.  Thacher,  James,  Hon.,  M.A.,  1810,  M.D. 
Cutter,    Ammi    Ruhamah,    M.B.,   1752,      Vinal,  Wm.,  1771. 

M.D.,  1792.  Welsh,  Thomas,  1772. 
Emerson,  Samuel,  Hon.,  1785. 

Princeton  College  Graduates. 

Alexander,  Nathaniel,  1776,  A.B.  Ramsay,  David,  1765,  A.B. 

Archer,  John,  1761,  A.B.  Rodgers,  John  R.  B.,  1775,  A.B. 

Bainbridge,  Absalom,  1762.  Rush,  Benj.,  1760,  A.B. 

Beatty,  John,  1769,  A.B.  Scudder,  Nathaniel,  1751,  A.B. 

Breviird,  Ephraim,  1768,  A.B.  Shippen,  Wm.,  Jr.,  1754,  A.B. 

Burnett,  Wm.,  1749,  A.B.  Smith,  Isaac,  1755,  A.B. 

Campfield,  Jabez,  1759,  A.B.  Stockton,  Ebenezer,  1780,  A.B. 

Cowell,  David,  1763,  A.B.  Wells,  Henry,  1757,  A.B. 

Henderson,  Thomas,  1761,  A.B.  Whitwell,  Samuel,  1774,  A.B. 

Hodge,  Hugh,  1773,  A.B.  Wilson,  Louis  F.,  1773,  A.B. 
McKnight,  Charles,  1771,  A.B. 

Yale  College  Graduates. 

Hall,  Lyman,  1747.  Wolcott,  Oliver,  1747. 

Munson,  Anea?,  1775. 

Broivn  Un  ivers  ity . 

Bowen,  Pardon,  1775.  Binney,  Barnabas,  1774. 

Drowne,  Solomon,  1773. 

Besides  the  colleges  named,  there  were  graduates  among  the  surgeons  from 
Columbia  College,  Dartmouth,  Rutgers,  William  and  Mary,  and  the  College 
of  Philadelphia. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  97 

medical  men  in  the  future.  They  were  not  only  ardent 
patriots,  but  many  of  them,  from  their  talents  and  famil- 
iarity with  public  affairs,  and  their  great  influence  with  the 
masses,  were  most  valuable  members  of  legislative  bodies 
and  councils  of  the  State.  I  will  name  only  a  few  of  the 
more  prominent  physicians  in  each  of  the  thirteen  original 
States,  and  it  is  quite  possible,  in  this  hastily  prepared  sketch, 
some  of  the  most  deserving  may,  by  accident,  be  omitted. 

Massachusetts. — To  this  class  belongs  Dr.  Joseph  Warren, 
of  Boston.  He  was  preeminent  for  his  devotion  to  the  cause 
of  liberty  and  for  the  influence  he  exercised  over  the  actions 
of  others.  He  was,  at  the  time  of  his  premature  and  lamented 
death,  perhaps  the  most  powerful  and  popular  advocate  of 
the  rights  of  the  colonies.  The  only  two  names  that  at  all 
equalled  or  excelled  his  in  the  confidence  of  the  people,  were 
Samuel  Adams  and  John  Hancock.  Ranking  close  after 
these  in  ability  and  popularity  was  Dr.  Benj.  Church,  whose 
failure  as  a  leader  was  lamentable  from  every  point  of  view. 
He  possessed  rare  ability,  and  was  most  ardent  in  the  patriot 
cause  from  an  early  day;  and  his  want  of  success  seems  to 
me  to  have  been  caUsed  more  by  indiscretion  than  by  pre- 
meditated or  actual  disaffection  to  the  principles  involved 
in  the  struggle.  Deserving  of  mention  in  this  connection 
were  Drs.  David  Jones,  William  Baylies,  Samuel  Holten, 
David  Cobb,  Wm.  Whiting,  Moses  Gunu,  and  John  Taylor. 
Dr.  John  Brooks  served  with  distinction  as  a  commander 
through  the  war,  and  was  subsequently  elected  Governor  of 
the  commonwealth. 

Dr.  Wm.  Eustis  served  as  a  surgeon  through  the  war; 
was  for  years  a  successful  practitioner  in  Boston,  and  was 
Secretary  of  War  from  1809  to  1812,  and  afterwards  Governor 
of  the  State,  and  died  in  1824,  during  his  term  of  office. 

New  Hampshire. — This  is  the  only  State  which  had  two 
physicians  in  Congress,  both  of  whom  signed  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence.  We  congratulate  ourselves  in  having 
that  noble  and  patriotic  physician,  Joshua  Bartlett,  the  first 
in  the  order  of  the  roll-call  to  vote  for  the  Declaration  of 
Independence.  He  served  in  the  legislature  continuously 
from  1765  to  1770,  and  for  a  time  as  Lieutenant-Colonel  of 
7 


98  MEDICAL   MEN 

the  Seventh  Regiment.  Was  a  delegate  to  Congress  in  1775. 
He  was  afterwards  Governor  of  the  State,  Justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  and  first  President  of  the  State  Medical 
Society. 

Dr.  Matthew  Thornton,  a  practitioner  of  Londonderry, 
and  a  most  ardent  patriot  of  the  Revolution,  had  been  a 
surgeon  in  the  expedition  against  Lewisburg  in  1745,  served 
as  a  member  of  the  Provincial  Congress  in  1776,  and  was  a 
signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  Throughout  his 
life  he  was  a  man  of  great  influence  and  integrity.  His 
monument  bears  the  simple  inscription  "An  honest  man." 

There  were  also  in  the  councils  of  the  State,  as  well  as  in 
active  professional  service,  Drs.  Ebenezer  Thompson,  John 
Giddings,  Joshua  Hall  Jack-son,  Thomas  Bartlett,  and 
Joshua  Brackett,  the  latter  a  minister  of  the  Gospel  as  well 
as  a  physician — a  benefactor  to  Harvard  College,  and  also 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  New  Hampshire  Medical  Society. 

Rhode  Island  had  some  able  medical  men  in  her  civil  coun- 
cils; among  whom  we  will  name,  Dr.  Jonathan  Arnold,  who 
was  a  good  public  speaker,  and  well  calculated  in  popular 
and  deliberate  bodies  to  inspire  others  with  the  patriotic 
principles  which  so  animated  himself.  These  powers  he  ex- 
ercised to  the  advantage  of  the  cause,  both  in  the  Colonial 
Assembly  and  in  the  Continental  Congress.  Dr.  Wm.  Brad- 
ford, a  descendant  of  Governor  Bradford,  was  a  physician 
and  patriot  of  the  Revolutionary  times.  He  was,  on  account 
of  his  discretion  and  ability,  selected,  Oct.  7,  1775,  on  the 
part  of  the  inhabitants  of  Bristol,  when  the  place  was  being 
bombarded  by  Captain  Wallace,  to  entreat  him  to  spare  the 
town.  He  was  a  leading  member  of  the  committee  of  Corre- 
spondence, and  took  a  decided  stand  in  the  controversy  with 
Great  Britain.  He  was  a  United  States  Senator  from  1793 
to  1797.  Dr.  Isaac  Senter  was  also  a  leading  physician  and 
an  influential  citizen.  Although  comparatively  young  at 
the  commencement  of  the  war,  he  served  with  distinction 
and  rose  to  eminence  in  his  profession,  and  was  an  honor  to 
his  State. 

Connecticut  had  a  number  of  well-educated  and  accom- 
plished physicians,  who,  through  their  statesmanlike  know- 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  99 

ledge  of  public  affairs,  early  became  prominent  in  the  dis- 
cussion of  all  the  questions  which  were  factors  in  ushering 
in  the  Revolution.  Among  the  very  first  of  these  was  Dr. 
Oliver  Wolcott.  He  served  in  Congress  from  1775  to  1778, 
and  was  one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Indepen- 
dence. From  1780  to  1781  he  held  a  commission  of  the 
grade  of  Major-General  in  the  army.  He  was  elected  to 
many  offices  of  responsibility  in  the  State — among  others, 
that  of  governor,  and  he  filled  them  all  with  ability  and  to 
the  honor  and  satisfaction  of  the  commonwealth. 

Dr.  John  Dickinson,  son  of  Rev.  Moses  Dickinson,  of 
Norwich,  Conn.,  having  received  a  good  academic  and  pro- 
fessional education,  settled  to  practice  in  Wallingford,  but 
removed  to  Middletown.  He  was  an  ardent  patriot,  was 
frequently  sent  to  the  legislature  during  the  period  of  the 
Revolution,  and  took  an  active  part  in  all  questions  of  a 
public  character.  After  the  war  he  was  appointed  Judge 
to  the  District  Court. 

Dr.  Asaph  Coleman  served  as  a  surgeon  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary Army,  and  was  several  times  a  representative  of  the 
people  of  the  General  Assembly. 

New  York  perhaps  had  fewer  physicians  who  took  inter- 
est in  political  affairs  than  any  of  the  other  colonies  of  an 
equal  population.  The  State,  however,  furnished  a  number 
of  medical  men  of  ability,  who  served  as  surgeons  in  the 
army. 

The  following  physicians,  James  Brewer,  Ebenezer  White, 
Daniel  Menema,  and  Moses  Younglove,  were  influential 
citizens,  and  zealous  patriots,  and  advocates  of  the  colonial 
rights  during  the  war. 

New  Jersey,  through  the  influence  of  her  college,  which  for 
half  a  century  had  been  extending  the  principles  of  a  higher 
education,  was  thus  enabled  at  the  outset  of  the  struggle  to 
present  a  large  body  of  well-educated  men  to  take  a  con- 
spicuous part  in  public  affairs.  We,  therefore,  find  in  this 
State  quite  a  number  of  physicians  occupying  prominent 
positions,  civil  and  military. 

Dr.  John  Beatty,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  but  a  citizen 
of  N~ew  Jersey,  was  a  physician  and  a  patriot  of  marked 


100  MEDICAL   MEN 

ability.  He  took  an  active  part  in  the  public  discussion 
and  the  administration  of  public  affairs  prior  to  the  out- 
break of  the  Revolution,  and  during  the  war  served  as  a 
surgeon  in  the  army,  and  was  taken  prisoner  at  the  capture 
of  Fort  Washington.  He  was  a  member  of  the  old  Conti- 
nental, and  also  of  the  United  States  Congress.  Subsequently, 
he  was  a  member  of  the  State  Legislature,  and  for  a  time 
Secretary  of  State,  besides  having  held  many  other  offices 
of  trust. 

Dr.  William  Burnett  was  another  of  New  Jersey's  hon- 
ored patriot  physicians,  a  sketch  of  whom  is  given  among  the 
surgeon-generals  and  physicians-in-chief  of  the  army.  Drs. 
Ebenezer  Elmer,  Bernard  Budd,  Thomas  Ewing,  and  many 
others  of  equal  merit  should  be  named. 

Pennsylvania. — From  the  earliest  settlement  of  this  colony 
her  medical  men  were  noted  for  their  extensive  acquirements, 
and  were  frequently  called  upon  to  take  part  in  the  admin- 
istration of  public  affairs,  and  often  held  civil  offices. 

Dr.  Benj.  Rush  stands  pre-eminent  among  those  of  the 
period  which  has  this  evening  engaged  our  attention.  His 
reputation  as  a  teacher  and  a  patriot  became  national,  ex- 
tending far  beyond  colonial  limits.  Indeed,  his  fame,  like 
that  of  Warren,  of  Mass.,  and  Ramsay,  of  S.  C.,  belongs  to 
America.  His  character  has  so  often  been  eulogized  that  I 
shall  not  dwell  further  upon  it  here,  except  to  express  for 
him  my  unqualified  admiration. 

Dr.  Wm.  Shippen,  Sr.,  was  a  member  of  the  Provincial 
Congress  in  1778.  His  son  William  was  eminent  as  a  practi- 
tioner, and  noted  as  the  first  systematic  teacher  of  medicine 
in  America.  He  held  the  position  of  chief  physician  to  the 
Continental  hospitals  during  a  most  important  period  in  our 
struggle  for  independence.  He  Avas  a  man  of  ability,  and 
discharged  every  trust  with  fidelity. 

Dr.  Wm.  Irwine  or  Irvine  was  an  accomplished  physician, 
in  full  practice,  residing  at  Carlisle,  Pa.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  State  Convention  that  met  in  Philadelphia  on  the 
loth  July,  1774.  He  was  a  man  of  extensive  information, 
and  was  often  called  upon  for  his  views  in  the  discussion  of 
the  public  welfare  of  the  State.  Preferring  to  exercise  his 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  101 

talents  in  the  army  as  a  commander  rather  than  in  the 
hospital  department,  he  was  commissioned  colonel  June  10, 
1776.  He  subsequently  rose  to  the  rank  of  brigadier  gene- 
ral, and  throughout  the  war  gave  great  satisfaction.  We 
might  extend  this  list  of  Pennsylvania  physicians  to  a  dozen 
or  more  names,  but  we  will  add  only  those  of  Drs.  John 
Morgan,  Jonathan  Potts,  John  Wilkins,  and  James  Hutch- 
inson. 

Delaware. — Although  this  little  State  had  a  number  of 
eminent  medical  men,  the  colony  or  counties  which  now 
form  the  territory  of  Delaware  were  at  this  period  by  many 
deemed  districts  or  counties  of  Pennsylvania.  This  rich 
agricultural  section,  adjacent  to  Philadelphia,  had  many 
statesmen  of  culture  and  fortune,  so  that  her  medical  men 
were  not  so  often  called  upon  to  enter  the  political  arena  as 
States  more  remote  and  less  prosperous. 

Dr.  James  Tilton,  who,  next  to  Dr.  Thacher,  has  left  us 
the  best  memoirs  of  professional  matters  transpiring  during 
the  war  for  independence,  is  justly  entitled  to  the  highest 
meed  of  praise  for  valuable  services  to  his  country.  His 
professional  career  reflects  honor  upon  the  State. 

Drs.  John  McKinly  and  Edward  Miller  held  influential 
positions  in  the  State,  and  were  in  active  service  during  the 
war. 

Maryland. — Throughout  all  parts  of  this  State  medical 
men  attended  primary  meetings,  and  took  a  leading  part  in 
organizing  a  public  sentiment  opposed  to  the  pretensions  of 
Great  Britain.  In  the  formation  of  committees  of  corre- 
pondence  and  councils  of  safety  physicians  were  particularly 
conspicuous.  I  will  only  mention  Drs.  John  Archer,  of 
Harford  Co.,  Richard  Brooks,  of  Prince  George  Co.,  John 
Dorsey,  of  Frederick  Co.,  Ephraim  Howard,  of  Anne  Arun- 
del  Co.,  Wm.  Kilty,  C.  A.  Wai-field,  and  Gustavus  Brown, 
Henry  Stevenson,  and  many  others,  equally  deserving,  who 
took  part. 

Virginia*  the  mother  of  States  and  of  statesmen,  had  in 
all  her  councils  a  few  highly  accomplished  medical  men. 
Theodoric  Bland,  an  eminent  physician,  was  a  member  of 
the  first  Congress  of  Philadelphia  and  of  the  old  Congress 


102  MEDICAL   MEN 

from  1780  to  1783.  Early  in  the  war  he  raised  a  company 
of  cavalry,  which  he  commanded  with  honor  to  himself  and 
advantage  to  the  cause.  Dr.  Arthur  Lee,  the  diplomatist, 
was,  for  a  number  of  years  prior  to  the  war,  a  successful 
practitioner  of  medicine  at  Williamsburg.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Virginia  Assembly  in  1781,  and  a  member  of 
Congress  in  1782  to  1785. 

Dr.  Hugh  Mercer,  general  and  patriot,  was  a  physician.  He 
resided  at  Mercersbnrgh,  Pa.,  in  1755,  and  laid  out  that  town. 
He  had  great  admiration  for  General  Washington;  and  com- 
manded a  company  in  the  Braddock  expedition  against  the 
French  and  Indians  at  Pittsburg,  where  he  was  wounded. 
He  removed  to  Virginia  and  settled  at  Fredericksburg,  and 
there  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession.  On  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war  he  warmly  espoused  the  cause  of 
the  colonies,  and  raised  three  regiments  for  their  defence. 
He  was  a  man  of  extensive  acquirements,  whose  intellectual 
powers  and  culture  made  him  equal  to  any  position  either  in 
the  councils  of  State  or  a  command  on  the  field  of  battle. 
In  leading  the  attack  on  the  British  at  the  battle  of  Prince- 
ton, he  was  mortally  wounded,  Jan.  3, 1777.  His  death  was 
deeply  deplored  by  his  personal  friend,  General  Washington. 

Dr.  Walter  Jones  was  an  active  patriot  and  a  man  of  in- 
fluence in  Virginia.  He  was,  for  a  time,  physician  in  chief 
in  the  middle  department,  and  also  served  in  Congress  after 
the  war.  Dr.  James  McClurg  was  long  a  counsellor  of  the 
State,  and  a  member  of  the  committee  which  adopted  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States. 

North  Carolina. — Dr.  Nathaniel  Alexander  was  a  graduate 
of  Princeton,  and  a  physician  of  eminence  in  Mecklenburg; 
an  ardent  patriot  during  the  Revolution,  serving  as  a  surgeon 
part  of  the  time,  and  subsequently,  as  Governor  of  the  State. 

Dr.  Ephraim  Brevard  was  a  graduate  of  Princeton  in  17H8, 
who,  having  studied  medicine,  located  to  practice  in  Char- 
lotte, North  Carolina.  He  was  a  man  of  calm  judgment, 
extensive  acquaintance,  and  a  warm  patriot.  To  him  be- 
longs the  distinction  of  having  embodied,  in  a  series  of 
resolutions  in  May,  1775,  at  a  public  meeting  held  in  Meck- 
lenburg, May  20,  1775,  the  same  principles  which  have  been 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  103 

so  remarkable  in  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  passed1 
by  Congress  a  year  afterwards.     He  was  a  surgeon  in  the 

1  As  these  resolutions  arc  rarely  seen,  and  not  generally  accessible,  I 
deem  them  of  sufficient  interest  to  give  them  in  a  note. 

Declaration  nf  Independence. 

"  1.  Resolved.  That  whoever  directly  or  indirectly  abets,  or,  in  any  way, 
form,  or  manner,  countenances  the  unchartered  and  dangerous  invasion  of 
our  rights,  as  claimed  by  Great  Britain,  is  an  enemy  to  this  country,  to 
America,  and  to  the  inherent  and  uualienable  rights  of  man. 

"  2.  Resolved,  That  we,  the  citizens  of  Mecklenburg  County,  do  hereby 
dissolve  the  political  bands  which  have  connected  us  to  the  mother  country, 
and  hereby  absolve  ourselves  from  all  allegiance  to  the  British  crown,  and 
abjure  all  political  connection,  contract,  or  association  with  that  nation, 
who  have  wantonly  trampled  on  our  rights  and  liberties,  and  inhumanly 
shed  the  innocent  blood  of  American  patriots  at  Lexington. 

"3.  Resolved,  That  we  do  hereby  declare  ourselves  a  free  and  independent 
people;  are,  and  of  right  ought  to  be,  a  sovereign  and  self-governing  asso- 
ciation, under  the  control  of  no  power  other  than  that  of  our  God,  and  the 
general  government  of  the  Congress;  to  the  maintenance  of  which  inde- 
pendence, we  solemnly  pledge  to  each  other  our  mutual  co-operation,  our 
lives,  our  fortunes,  and  our  most  sacred  honor. 

"4.  Resolved,  That  as  we  now  acknowledge  the  existence  and  control  of 
no  law  or  legal  officer,  civil  or  military,  within  this  county,  we  do  hereby 
ordain  and  adopt,  as  a  rule  of  life,  all,  each  and  every  of  our  former  laws ; 
wherein,  nevertheless,  the  crown  of  Great  Britain  never  can  be  considered 
as  holding  rights,  privileges,  immunities,  or  authority  therein. 

"5.  Resolved,  That  it  is  also  further  decreed,  that  all,  each,  and  every 
military  officer  in  this  county  is  hereby  reinstated  to  his  former  command 
and  authority,  he  acting  conformably  to  these  regulations.  And  that  every 
member  present  of  this  delegation  shall  henceforth  be  a  civil  officer,  viz. :  a 
justice  of  the  peace  in  the  character  of  a  "committee  man,"  to  issue  pro- 
cess, hear,  and  determine  all  matters  of  controversy,  according  to  said 
adopted  laws,  and  to  preserve  peace  and  union  and  harmony  in  said  county, 
and  to  use  every  exertion  to  spread  the  love  of  country  and  fire  of  freedom 
throughout  America,  until  a  more  general  and  organized  government  be 
established  in  this  province."  (American  Archives,  fourth  series,  vol.  ii.  p. 
857.) 

Mecklenburg,  N.  C.,  May  20,  1775,  delegates  present  and  signing. 
Col.  Thomas  Polk.  John  Phifer.  James  Harris. 

Ephraim  Brevard.  Henry  Downs.  William  Kennon. 

John  Ford.  Ezra  Alexander.  William  Graham. 

Richard  Barry.  Zachaus  Wilson,  Sen.  John  Queary. 

Abraham  Alexander.  Hezekiah  Alexander.  Robert  Irwin. 

J.  McKnitt,  Alexander.  Waightstill  Avery.  John  Flenniken. 

Adam  Alexander.  Benjamin  Pntton.  David  Reese. 

Charles  Alexander.  Matthew  McClure.  Richard  Harris,  Sen. 

ezakiah  J.  Balch.  Neil  Morrison. 


104  MEDICAL   MEN 

war,  and  taken  prisoner  at  the  capture  of  Charleston  in  1780. 
His  health  failed  during  his  confinement,  and  he  shortly 
after  died. 

Dr.  Hugh  Williamson,  though  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
resided  at  Edenton  ;  was  a  patriot  and  man  of  letters,  serv- 
ing asa  surgeon  to  the  militia  of  Xorth  Carolina, and  attended 
the  wounded  after  the  battle  of  Camden.  Was  a  delegate 
to  Congress  in  1781  to  1782.  He  wrote  the  history  of  ]S"orth 
Carolina  in  two  volumes,  and  other  works  of  moment.  Dr. 
Robert  Williams  was  an  ardent  and  influential  citizen  and 
patriot.  In  political  conventions  he  was  prominent,  and 
served  as  a  surgeon  to  the  militia.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  convention  which  ratified  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States. 

South  Carolina. — Here  we  must  first  name  Dr.  David 
Ramsay.  He  used,  with  effect,  his  pen  in  the  interest  of 
the  colony,  anterior  to  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  was, 
throughout  the  struggle  that  ensued,  a  consistent  and  un- 
compromising friend  of  American  liberty. 

On  the  raising  of  an  armed  force  by  the  colonies,  he 
entered  the  military  service  as  a  surgeon.  When  the  city 
of  Charleston,  S.  C.,  was  captured  by  the  British,  in  May, 
1780,  the  doctor  was  laken  prisoner.  His  health  suffered 
severely  from  confinement ;  and,  on  his  exchange,  he  was  sent 
to  Congress  in  1782,  where  he  served  with  distinguished 
ability  until  1786. 

Dr.  David  Oliphant,  already  mentioned  as  one  of  the 
Director  Generals  of  the  hospital  in  the  southern  depart- 
ment, was  a  man  of  social  and  political  influence.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  State  Assembly,  and  subsequently  appointed 
judge  of  the  courts. 

Georgia. — Dr.  L}rman  Hall  was  a  successful  practitioner, 
and  among  the  foremost  of  the  citizens  in  securing  the  co- 
operation of  Georgia  with  the  other  colonies.  He  was  chosen 
to  the  first  Congress,  at  Philadelphia,  by  the  parish  of  St. 
John's,  but  did  not  attend ;  was,  however,  sent  as  a  delegate 
from  the  whole  State  in  March,  1775,  and  was  one  of  the 
signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  The  invasion 
of  Georgia  by  the  British,  in  1780,  required  him  to  return 


OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  105 

to  render  service  to  the  cause  there.  His  property  was  all 
confiscated  by  the  British  while  in  possession.  In  1783  he 
was  elected  Governor  of  the  State;  and  was,  in  all  relations 
of  life,  a  most  useful  and  exemplary  member  of  society. 

Dr.  Noble  "Wirnberly  Jones  was  one  of  the  early  settlers 
in  Georgia,  and  became  imbued  with  a  spirit  of  resistance 
to  British  taxation.  He  was  chosen  delegate  to  the  first 
Continental  Congress,  and  again  in  1781.  He  was  often 
consulted  by  his  colleagues  on  important  public  occasions, 
and  was  a  member  of  the  convention  that  amended  the  State 
constitution. 

Dr.  Nathaniel  Brownson,  of  Liberty  Co.,  Ga.,  was  not 
only  a  good  physician,  but  an  enlightened  statesman,  a  true 
patriot,  and  a  powerful  advocate  of  the  rights  of  the  colonies. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Provincial  Convention  of  1775,  and 
of  the  Continental  Congress  in  1776.  He  was  for  a  time  a 
surgeon  in  the  army,  and  was  also  speaker  of  the  State 
Legislature  in  1781,  and  was  by  this  body  chosen  governor 
of  Georgia. 

That  the  government  has  been  most  liberal  to  the  soldiers, 
through  whose  courage  and  fortitude  American  liberty  was 
won,  is  evident  from  historical  records.  Immense  sums  in 
treasure  and  vast  tracts  of  land  have  been  awarded  to  them 
as  bounty  and  pension.  The  surgeons  and  surgeons'  mates 
have  been  participants  of  this  generosity.1 

1  Surgeons  and  surgeons'  mates  who  have  received  pension  from  the  United 
States  for  services  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  (See  U.  S.  Pension  Rolls.) 

Adams,  Joseph,  Mass.  Blakely,  Zealous,  Con. 

Ahl,  John  Peter,  Md.  Blish,  Ezra,  Con. 

Allen,  David,  Con.  Bowen,  Beauniah.  Con. 

Allyn,  Jonathan,  Vt.  Bowen,  Joseph,  R.  I. 

Austin,  Caleb,  Con.  Boyd,  Benjamin,  Md. 

Averill,  Jonathan,  N.  Y.  Breckett,  Daniel,  Mass. 

Bacheller,  Theophilus,  Mass.  Briggs,  Richard,  Mass. 

Ballentine,  Ebenezer,  N.  Y.  Brown,  Ezekiel,  Me. 

Bannell,  Amos,  Con.  Brunson,  Asa,  Con. 

Barnes,  Simeon,  Con.  Burrett,  Anthony,  Con. 

Barret,  Jereminh,  Con.  Cheever,  Abijah,  Mass. 

Bartlett,  Josiah,  Mass.  Child*,  Timothy,  Mass. 

Beardsley,  Gersham,  N.  Y.  Clark,  TIezekiah,  N.  Y. 

Beatty,  Reading,  Pa.  Clark,  Joseph,  Mass. 

Bicknell,  Josiah,  Con.  Cogswell,  William,  N.  II. 

Billings,  Benjamin,  Mass.  Curtis,  Samuel,  N.  H. 


106 


MEDICAL   MEN 


The  broad  and  varied  abilities  and  high  culture  of  the 
medical  men  of  America  were  not  at  all  appreciated  until  they 


Gushing,  John,  N.  H. 
Cutting,  John  Brown,  D.  C. 
Drowne,  Solomon,  R.  I. 
Eager,  George,  N.  Y. 
Edwards,  Joshua,  Pa. 
Ehrenzeller,  Jacob,  Pa. 
Elmer,  Ebenezer,  N.  J. 
Elmer,  Moses,  N.  J. 
Endicott,  Samuel,  N.  H. 
Fairbanks,  Cyrus,  Mass. 
Fairbank,  George,  Mass. 
Fanning,  John,  Con. 
Fisk,  Joseph,  Mass. 
Gardner,  John,  N.  Y. 
Glover,  Samuel  K.,  Mass. 
Graham,  Isaac  G.,  N.  Y. 
Green,  Ezra,  N.  H. 
Gross,  Ebenezer  H. ,  Me. 
Guest,  James,  Pa. 
Hale,  Mordecai,  N.  Y. 
Hall,  John,  Me. 
Hall,  Mordecai,  N.  Y. 
Hall,  Percival,  Mass. 
Hall,  William,  Md. 
Hamilton,  James,  Pa. 
Hart.  John,  Mass. 
Hatch,  Josiah,  Mass. 
Hilton,  Isaac,  Me. 
Hitchcock,  Gad,  Mass. 
Holbrook,  Amos,  N.  Y. 
Holbrook,  Silas,  N.  Y. 
Hurd,  Isaac,  Mass. 
Hyde,  Phineas,  Con. 
Jewett,  Gibbons,  Con. 
Jones,  David,  Me. 
Jones,  James,  Del. 
Knight,  Jonathan,  Con. 
Lewis,  Joseph,  Vt. 
Maclean,  William,  N.  C. 
Magaw,  William,  Pa. 
Mann,  James,  N.  Y. 
Mann,  Oliver,  Me. 
Martin,  Ennalls,  Md. 
Martin,  John  R.,  Ohio. 
Mather,  Samuel,  Con. 
McCoskey,  William,  Mich. 
Meade,  William,  N.  Y. 
Mory,  Samuel,  Mass. 
Mullican,  Isaac,  Mass. 


Munson,  Eneas,  Con. 
Pelham,  William,  Ohio. 
Pindall,  Richard,  Ky. 
Porter,  Benj.  J.,  Me. 
Prescott,  Joseph,  N.  Y. 
Rainey,  Stephen,  Con. 
Read,  Wm.,  S.  C. 
Richardson,  Abijah,  Mass. 
Roberts,  John,  Ky. 
Rodgers,  John  R.  B.,  N.  Y. 
Root,  Josiah,  Conn. 
Rose,  Prosper,  Con. 
Rosseter,  Timothy  W.,  Ga. 
Russell,  Philip  M.,  Pa. 
Sackett,  John,  N.  Y. 
Sawyer,  William,  Me. 
Schuyler,  Nicholas,  N.  Y. 
Scudder,  John  A.,  Ind. 
Selden,  William  C.,  Va. 
Sibley,  John,  La. 
Skinner,  Elisha,  Me. 
Smith,  Dan.,  Vt. 
Stockton,  Benj.  B.,  N.  Y. 
Taylor,  Christopher,  Md. 
Thacher,  James,  Mass. 
Thaxter,  Gridley,  Mass. 
Thomas,  John,  N.  Y. 
Thompson,  Thaddeus,  N.  Y. 
Tilton,  James,  Del. 
Townsand,  David,  Mass. 
Tracy,  Philemon,  Con. 
Trezvant,  John,  Va. 
Tunison,  Garrett,  N.  J. 
Turner,  Peter,  R.  I. 
Walcott,  Thomas,  Mass. 
Waterous,  Josiah,  N.  Y. 
Waters,  Wilson,  Md. 
Watrous,  John  R. ,  Con. 
Welch,  Thomas,  Mass. 
White,  Henry,  N.  Y. 
Wild,  Jonathan,  Mass. 
Wilkinson,  John,  R.  I. 
Willard,  Moses,  N.  Y. 
Williams,  Robert,  N.  C. 
Wing,  Moses,  Me. 
Wingate,  John,  Me. 
Wright,  Philemon,  N.  H. 
Young,  John,  Mass. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  107 

were,  in  their  patriotism,  brought  in  close  relation  with  the 
recognized  leading  or  dominating  minds  of  that  period. 
Having  called  attention  to  the  very  considerable  number  of 
accomplished  physicians  who  assisted  in  the  councils  of  the 
different  States  in  securing  American  independence,  I  pro- 
pose to  glance  at  the  number  of  physicians  who,  in  the  ardor 
of  their  patriotism,  sought  and  obtained  commands  in  the 
field,  and  thus  served  their  country  in  perhaps  a  more  active 
but  scarcely  more  arduous  or  dangerous  sphere  of  duty.  I 
am  able  to  present  in  a  note  the  names  of  thirty-six  phy- 
sicians who  held  commands  of  various  grades ;  a  careful 
study  would,  no  doubt,  extend  the  list.1 

One  word  of  explanation,  as  to  the  political  divisions  and 
colonial  entities  at  the  time  of  the  revolution,  is  deemed 
proper. 

When  we  speak  of  the  New  England  States,  we  usually 
include  the  existing  six  ;  but  we  should  recollect  that  at  the 
time  of  the  revolution  Vermont  and  Maine  did  not  exist  as 
separate  and  distinct  colonies.  It  is  true  the  settlement  of 
Maine  was  coeval  with  that  at  Jamestown,  Va.,  in  1607 ; 
thus  antedating  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrims  in  Massachu- 
setts. Notwithstanding  this,  the  government  of  Maine  was 

1  Names  of  medical  men  who  held  military  commands  in  the  Revolution, 
with  their  rank  in  the  army. 

Archer,  Jno.,  Md.,  Command  Mil.  Co.  McDonough,  Thos.,  Maj. 

Bartlett,  Josinh,  Lieut. -Col.  7th  Mass.  Mcllenry.  James,  Gen. 

Beatty,  Jno.,  Lieut. -Col.  Pa.  Line.  Mercer,  Hugh,  Va. ,  Brig. -Gen. 

Bland,  Theodoric,  Col.  Va.  Troops.  Nicholas,  Moses,  Brig. -Gen. 

Brickett,  Jos.,  Brig.-Gen.  Peabody,  Nathan,  Ad.  State  Militia. 

Brooks,  John,  Col.  Mass.  Perkins,  Abijah,  2d  Lieut. 

Burk,  Thos.,  Capt.  at  Bat.  Brandywine.  Prescott,  Oliver,  Brig.-Gsn. 

Campfield,  Jabez,  N.  J.,  Quartermast.  Reid,  ,  Cnpt. 

Childs,  Timothy,  Mass.,  Capt.  Rickman,  \V. ,  Va.,  Col.  in  Cont.  Army. 

Cobb,  David,  Maj. -Gen.  Militia.  Sergeant,  Ernstus,  Maj.  7th  Jlass. 

Day,  Elkanah,  Capt.  St.  Clair,  Arthur,  Maj.-Gen. 

Dearborn,  Henry,  Maj.-G-en.  Smith,  Isaac,  N.  Y.,  Col. 

Ely,  John,  Major.  Smith,  Nathan,  Lieut  ,  Vt.  Militia. 

Ewing,  Thos.,  of  N.  J.,  Mnj.  Thomas,  John,  Maj.-Gen. 

Flagg,  John,  Mass.,  Lieut.-Col.  White,  John,  of  N.  C.,  Adjutant. 

Gardner,  M.,  R.  I.,  General.  Wilkinson,  James,  Gen. 

Hand,  Edward,  Brig.-Gen.  Wolcot,  Oliver,  Brig.-Gen. 

Irvine,  Win.,  Pa.,  Brig.-Gen.  Warren,  Joseph,  General. 


108  MEDICAL   MEN 

in  1652  transferred  to,  and  specifically  included  within  the 
bounds  and  jurisdiction  of  the -colony  of  Massachusetts,  and 
so  remained  until  admitted  as  a  separate  State  into  the 
American  Union  in  1820. 

Vermont  had  three  claimants  for  her  territory,  Massachu- 
setts, New  Hampshire,  and  New  York.  In  the  settlement 
of  this  question  she  paid  New  York  thirty  thousand  dollars 
($30,000).  In  1777  she  adopted  a  bill  of  rights  and  assumed 
independence  under  the  name  of  "  New  Connecticut,"  and 
was  admitted  a  State  of  the  Union  in  1791.  This  will  ex- 
plain why  so  few,  if  any,  surgeons  are  accredited  to  Maine 
or  Vermont ;  they  both  furnished  brave  generals  and  heroic 
soldiers,  but  they  were  credited  to  Massachusetts,  New  York, 
or  New  Hampshire. 

Kentucky  was  then  a  part  of  Virginia,  and  Tennessee  a 
part  of  North  Carolina.  The  territory  now  known  as  the 
State  of  Tennessee  was  in  1784  declared  in  convention  to  be 
an  independent  State,  under  the  name  of  the  "  State  of 
Franklin."  It  maintained  an  independent  organization 
until  1788,  when  jurisdiction  was  resumed  over  it  by  North 
Carolina,  which  continued  until  its  admittance  into  the 
Union  in  1796  under  the  name  of  the  State  of  Tennessee. 

In  1776  the  colonies  formed  a  confederation,  and,  to  en- 
able Congress  to  distribute  equally  the  fiscal  burthen  among 
them,  it  became  necessary  to  ascertain  the  population  of  each. 
It  is  not  understood  that  an  actual'  enumeration  was  had 
for  the  especial  purpose  in  any  one  of  the  colonies,  but  the 
population  here  given  for  1775  is  simply  approximate,  the 
actual  number  of  slaves  not  being  included.  This  estimate 
of  population  was  acquiesced  in  by  all  the  colonies,  and  served 
as  a  basis  for  raising  troops,  and  for  defraying  the  expenses 
throughout  the  war.  We  take  this  table  from  Pitken's 
Statistics,  p.  583: — 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  109 

New  Hampshire     .        .        .                 .        .  102,000 

Massachusetts         ......  352,000 

Rhode  Island .        .        .      - .        .        .        .  58,000 

Connecticut 202,000 

New  York     ...        .        .        .  238,000 

New  Jersey    .       '.        .        .        .        ...  138,000 

Pennsylvania         ......  341,000 

Delaware 37,000 

Maryland       .        .         .         ...        .-  147,000 

Virginia         .                 .        ;        .        .        .  300,000 

North  Carolina      .         .        .        .    '     .        .  181,000 

South  Carolina 93,000 

Georgia ....'....  27,000 

White   .        .        .        .        .  2,243,000 

Colored          .        .        .        .  500,000 


Total 2,743,000 

The  federal  convention  of  1787  which  framed  the  consti- 
tution, although  recognizing  the  fact  that  the  whole  popu- 
lation of  the  States  was  greater  than  given  in  this  table,  still 
used  it  as  a  basis  in  proportioning  representation  to  States, 
as  it  had  served  through  the  war  for  the  levying  of  troops.1 

The  Census  taken  by  the  authority  of  the  United  States 
in  1790,  which  gives  the  total  population,  white  and  colored, 
as  3,929,214,  showed  that  the  original  estimate  was  nearly 
correct,  and  the  increase  probable  and  quite  uniform  in  the 
different  States.  I  have,  in  the  Annals  of  Medical  Progress, 
p.  105,  estimated  the  whole  number  of  physicians  residing 
in  the  Colonies  in  1776,  at  3500. 

That  the  medical  profession,  by  virtue  of  the  superior 
education  of  its  members,  held  high  social  and  influential 
positions,  and  took  an  honorable  and  active  part  in  the  events 
that  ushered  in  the  Revolution,  as  well  as  in  the  armed 
struggle  that  led  to  the  glorious  termination  and  successful 
establishment  of  a  free  government  in  America,  is  a  fact  so 
evident  as  to  require  no  argument.  The  names  of  physicians 
are  everywhere  conspicuous  among  the  patriots  and  efficient 

1  As  the  figures  are  not  often  met  with  from  which  to  form  an  estimate  of 
the  strength  of  the  Continental  army,  and  the  proportion  of  troops  raised 
by  the  several  colonies,  I  have  deemed  the  subject  in  this  connection  of 


110 


MEDICAL   MEN 


promoters  of  the  cause  of  liberty.     There  was  scarcely  an 
office,  civil  or  military,  that  at  some  time  a  physician  did 

sufficient  interest  to  give  the  following  table,  which  admirably  presents 
these  facts.     (New  Hampshire  Historical  Collections,  vol.  i.  p.  236.) 


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*  The  right  hand  column  of  the  above  table  is  taken  from  Peter  Force's 
National  Calendar  for  1834.  This  irregular  force  (104.660)  were  called 
out  by  local  authorities,  or  volunteered  to  repel  foraging  parties,  to  guard 
prisoners  conveyed  from  one  place  to  another  when  distributed  in  different 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  Ill 

not  fill — no  danger  which  they  did  not  participate  in,  and 
no  duty  or  responsibility  entrusted  to  them  that  they  did  not 
discharge  with  credit  to  the  country,  and  with  honor  to  the 
profession. 

Independence  achieved  ! — How  natural  it  was  that  after 
the  friendships  formed  among  the  officers  during  the  heroic 
struggle  of  nearly  eight  years  to  found  a  nation,  they  should 
seek  to  give  expression  and  perpetuation  to  this  noble  senti- 
ment of  personal  regard.  For  this  purpose  was  founded  the 
Society  of  the  Cincinnati.  Medical  men  were  eligible;  and 
many  of  those  in  the  service  at  the  close  of  the  war  became 
members. 

It  was  expected  by  the  officers  of  the  Continental  army 
that  societies  would  form  in  all  the  States,  but  from  jealousy 
or  an  apprehension  that  the  organization  had  a  political  sig- 
nificance, it  was  decried  and  violently  opposed  in  certain 
quarters.  At  least  three  States,  Massachusetts,  New  York, 
and  New  Jersey,  preserve  active  organizations.  I  have  col- 
lected the  names  of  all  the  medical  men  who  were  original 
members  in  seven  States,  which  I  give  in  a  note.  For  the 

parts  of  the  country,  and  more  particularly  to  repel  sudden  incursions  of 
Indians  on  the  Western  frontiers.  A  large  portion  of  the  men  not  in  ser- 
vice were  enrolled,  and,  in  specified  localities,  arranged  by  companies  or 
battalions  into  three  or  four  classes,  and  required,  in  exposed  places  near 
the  British  or  Indians,  to  render  services  of  ten  to  fifteen  days  each  class — 
sometimes  twenty  to  thirty  days. 

British  Forces  in  United  States  at  different  periods  during  the 
Revolutionary  War. 

1777,  June    3   .         ...     33,756         1781,  May  1    ....  33,374 

1778,  Aug.    5    .         .         .         .     22,554         1781,  Aug.  1,  Lord  Cornwallis' 

1779,  Feb.  15    .         .         .         .     38,569  army  in  Virginia  9,433 

1780,  Mny     1    .         .         .              33,020         1781,  Sept.  1    ...         .  42,075 
1780,  Dec.    1    .         .         .              33,766         1782,  June  1    .         .    •'  ...        .  40,469 

As  a  matter  of  some  interest  in  this  connection,  I  give  the  following  esti- 
mate of  the  number  of  Americans  who  lost  their  lives  in  the  war  of  the 
Revolution: — 

Dr  Thacher,  in  his  Military  Journal,  p.  344,  says :  "  It  has  been  esti- 
mated that  the  loss  of  lives  in  the  various  armies  of  the  United  States, 
during  the  war,  is  not  less  than  seventy  thousand.  The  numbers  who  died 
on  board  of  the  horrid  prison-ships  of  the  enemy  cannot  be  calculated.  It 
is,  however,  confidently  asserted  that  no  less  than  eleven  thousand  of  our 
brave  soldiers  died  on  board  the  one  called  the  Jersey  Prison  Ship,  only !" 


112  MEDICAL   MEN 

States  of  Delaware,  Rhode  Island,  New  Hampshire,  and 
Virginia,  I  have  been  unable  to  find  the  records  or  lists  of 
members.  The  motives  for  the  formation  of  the  Society  of 
the  Cincinnati  seem  so  proper  that  I  have  concluded  to  give 
them  as  set  forth  by  the  society.1 

1  "  It  having  pleased  the  Supreme  Governor  of  the  Universe,  in  the  dis- 
pensation of  human  affairs,  to  cause  the  separation  of  the  Colonies  of  North 
America  from  the  dominion  of  Great  Britain,  and,  after  a  bloody  conflict  of 
eight  years,  to  establish  them  free, .independent,  and  sovereign  States,  con- 
nected by  alliance,  founded  on  reciprocal  advantages,  with  some  of  the 
greatest  princes  and  powers  of  the  earth. 

"To  perpetuate,  therefore,  as  well  the  remembrance  of  the  vast  event  as 
the  mutual  friendships  which  have  been  formed  under  the  pressure  of  com- 
mon danger,  and  in  many  instances  cemented  by  the  blood  of  the  parties, 
the  officers  of  the  American  army  do  hereby,  in  the  most  solemn  manner, 
associate,  constitute,  and  combine  themselves  into  one  society  of  friends,  to 
endure  so  long  as  they  shall  endure,  or  any  of  their  eldest  male  posterity, 
and,  in  failure  thereof,  the  collateral  branches  who  may  be  judged  worthy 
of  becoming  its  supporters  and  members. 

"The  officers  of  the  American  army,  having  generally  been  taken  from  the 
citizens  of  America,  possess  high  veneration  for  the  character  of  that  illus- 
trious Eoman,  Lucius  Quinctius  Cincinnatus,  and,  being  resolved  to  follow 
his  example  by  returning  to  their  citizenship,  they  think  they  may  with 
propriety  denominate  themselves  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati."  ( Thacher's 
Military  Journal,  p.  317.) 

Medical  officers  of  the  Revolutionary  Army  who  were  original  members 
of  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati,  in  the  several  States. 

Connecticut. 

Beardsley,  Ebenezer,  Surgeon.  Rose,  John,  Surgeon. 

Coleman,  Noah,  Surgeon's  Mate.  Simpson,  John,  Surgeon. 

Hosmer,  Timothy,  Surgeon's  Mate.  Skinner,  Thomas,  Surgeon. 

Mather,  Timothy,  Surgeon.  Starr,  Justus,  Surgeon's  Mate. 

Munson,  Aneas,  Jr.,  Surgeon's  Mate.  Watrous,  John  R.,  Surgeon. 
Noyes,  John,  Surgeon. 

Maryland. 

Craik,  James,  Md.,  Physician  and  Surg.  Knood,  Samuel  Y.,  Md.,  Surg.'s  Mate. 

Denwood,  Levin,  Md.,  Surgeon.  Manis,  James,  Md.,  Surgeon. 

Elbert,  John  L.,  Md.,  Surgeon's  Mate.  Marshal],  T.,  Md.,  Surgeon. 

Harrison,  Elisha,  Md.,  Surgeon's  Mate.  Morrow,  David,  Md.,  Surgeon. 

Hayne,  Ezekiel,  Md.,  Surgeon.  Morrow,  Samuel,  Md.,  Surgeon. 

Jenifer,  Daniel,  Jr.,  Md.,  Surg.  Hosp.  Pindell,  R.,  Md.,  Surgeon. 

Keene,  Samuel  F.,  Md.,  Surg.'s  Mate.  Warfield,  Walter,  Md  ,  Surgeon. 

Kilty,  William,  Md.,  Surgeon.  Wood,  Gerard,  Md.,  Surgeon's  Mate. 

Massachusetts. 

Adams,  Henry,  Mass.,  Surgeon.  Crane,  John,  Mass.,  Surgeon. 

Balentine,  Eben.,  Mass.,  Surg.'s  Mate.      Duffield,  John,  Mass.,  Surgeon. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


The  experience  of  the  war  was  of  immense  advantage  to 
the  medical  profession  of  America.    The  merits  of  the  medi- 


Eustis,  Willinm,  Mass.,  Surgeon. 
Finley,  James  B.,  Mass.,  Surgeon. 
Finley,  Joseph,  Mass.,  Surgeon. 
Fish,  Joseph,  Mass.,  Surgeon. 
Gooc'win,  F.  L.  B.,  Mnss.,  Surg.'s  Mate. 
Hart,  John,  Maps.,  Surgeon. 
Homnns,  John,  Mass.,  Surgeon. 
Laughton,  Wm.,  Mass.,  Surg.'s  Mate. 
Leavenwortb,  Nat.,  Mass.,  Surg.'s  Mate. 


Morgan,  Benj.,  Mass.,  Surgeon's  Mate. 
Porter,  Benj  Jones,  Mass.,  Surg.'s  Mnte. 
Richardson,  Abijah,  Mass.,  Surgeon. 
Shute,  Daniel,  Mass.,  Surgeon. 
Thaoher,  James,  Mass.,  Surgeon. 
Townsend,  David,  Mass.,  Surgeon. 
Whitwelbe,  Samuel,  Mass.,  Surgeon. 
Woodward,  Samuel,  Mass. ,  Surg.  's  Mate. 


New  Jersey. 


Appleton,  Abraham,  Surgeon's  Mate. 
Barnett,  William,  Surgeon. 
Beatty,  John,  Surgeon  and  Major. 
Burnell,  Wm.,  Surgeon. 
Burnett,  Wm.,  Surgeon-General. 
Campbell,  George,  Hospital  Surgeon. 
Campfield,  Jabez,  Surgeon. 
Dunham,  Lewis,  Surg.  and  Col.  in  Mili. 
Elmer,  Ebenezer,  Surg.  and  Brig. -Gen. 
Elmer,  Moses,  Surgeon's  Mate. 


Harris,  Jacob,  Surgeon's  Mate. 
Holmes,  James,  Surgeon. 
Howell,  Lewis,  Surgeon. 
Loring,  Ephraitn,  Surgeon's  Mate. 
Otto,  Bodo,  Surgeon. 
Reed,  Thomas,  Surgeon's  Mate. 
Riker,  John  B.,  Surgeon. 
Ross,  Alexander,  Surgeon. 
Stockton,  Ebenezer,  Surgeon. 
Vacher,  John  Francis,  Surgeon. 


New  York. 


Brown,  Joseph,  N.  Y.,  Surgeon. 


Ledyard,  Isaac,  N.  Y.,  Surgeon's  Mate. 


Cochran,  John,  N.  Y. ,  Surg.  and  Direc-     McKnight,  Charles,  N.  Y.,  Surgeon. 


tor  Hosp. 


Menema,  Daniel,  N.  Y.,  Surgeon. 


Craigie,  And.,  N.  Y.,  Surg. -Gen.   Hosp.     Prior,  Abner,  N.  Y.,  Surgeon's  Mate. 
Crosby,  Ebenezer,  N.  Y.,  Surgeon  Wash-     Rogers,  John  R.  B.,  N.  Y.,  Surgeon. 


ington's  Life  Guards. 
Elliott,  John,  N.  Y.,  Surgeon's  Mate. 
Graham,  Stephen,  N.  Y.,  Surg.'s  Mate. 
Hnle,  Mordecai,  N.  Y.,  Surgeon's  Mate. 


Sweet,  Caleb,  N.  Y.,  Surgeon. 
Tillotson,   Thomas,    N.   Y.,   Phys.  and 

Surg. -Gen. 
Vacher,  John  F.,  N.  Y.,  Surgeon. 


Johnson,  Robert,  N.  Y.,  Phys.-General     Van  Wagner,  Garret,  N.  Y.,  Surgeon. 
Hosp. 

Pennsylvania. 


Adams,  Wm.,  Pa.,  Surgeon. 
Allison,  R.,  Pa.,  Surgeon's  Mate. 
Beatty,  Reading,  Pa.,  Surgeon. 


MoCalla,  Thomas  M.,  Pa.,  Surgeon. 
McDowell,  John,  Pa.,  Surgeon. 
McClosky,  Samuel  A.,  Pa.,  Surgeon. 


Binney,  Barnabas,  Pa.,  Hosp.  Surgeon.     Mngaw,  Wm.,  Pa.,  Surgeon. 


Bond,  Thomas,  Pa.,  Surgeon. 
Caldwell,  Andrew,  Pa.,  Surgeon. 
Cathcart,  Wm.,  Pa.,  S.urgeon. 
Davidson,  James,  Pa.,  Surgeon. 
De  Florat,   Jean   Augustus,    Pa ,    Sur- 
geon's Mate. 

Hunter.  George,  Pa.,  Surgeon's  Mate. 
Leadlie,  Andrew,  Pa.,  Surgeon. 


Martin,  Hugh,  Pa.,  Surgeon. 
Muus,  Matthew,  Pa.,  Surgeon. 
Peres,  Peter,  Pa.,  Surgeon 
Rogers,  John  R.  B.,  Pa.,  Surgeon. 

(This  name  also  appears  in  N.  Y.) 
St.  Clair,  Arthur,  Brigadier  General. 
Stevenson,  George,  Pa.,  Hosp.  Surgeon's 

Mate. 


South  Carolina. 

Blyth,  Joseph,  S.  C.,  Regt.  Surgeon.          Finley,  James  E    B.,  S.  C.,  Regt.  Surg. 
Fnyssoux,  Peter,  S.  C.,  Hosp.  Surgeon.      Flagg,  Henry  C.,  S.  C.,  Regt.  Surgeon. 

8 


114  MEDICAL   MEN 

cal  men  and  the  importance  of  the  science  to  the  State,  lifted 
the  profession  out  of  obscurity  to  a  position  of  conspicuous 
honor  and  usefulness. 

It  is  now  conceded  by  the  world  that  American  inde- 
pendence, although  purchased  at  the  cost  of  great  suffering, 
much  blood,  and  immense  treasures,  has  proved  in  the  years 
that  are  passed  an  unqualified  blessing  to  mankind,  and  will, 
we  believe,  continue  to  be  so  for  centuries  to  come.  American 
statesmanship  too  has  elevated  the  standard  of  human  rights 
throughout  the  world.  The  claims  of  humanity  are  every- 
where more  regarded  by  rulers,  and  the  rights  of  individuals 
better  protected.  The  voice  of  the  world  to-day,  more  than 
in  any  period  of  the  past,  demands  that  laws  must  be  hu- 
manizing in  their  effect,  and  administered  with  equal  justice 
to  all. 

I  will  close  my  already  too  extended  paper  with  as  complete 
a  list  of  the  names  of  the  medical  men  who  aided  in  achieving 
American  independence,  as  I  have  had  the  means  of  compil- 
ing. I  shall  not  fatigue  you  with  reading  this  list  of  nearly 
twelve  hundred  names,  which  includes  not  only  those  of  sur- 
geons and  physicians  of  the  army,  but  also  of  the  medical 
men  who  gave  their  services  to  the  cause  in  other  positions. 
This  list  is  not  offered  as  complete,  but  approximate.  Our 
government,  I  regret  to  say,  does  not  possess  among  its 
archives  a  complete  roster  of  the  soldiers  of  the  Revolution, 
and  it  is  probable  a  perfect  one  of  the  Continental  army 
does  not  exist  anywhere.  That  which  is  here  presented  of 
the  surgeons  is  the  result  of  much  careful  research  amongst 
Revolutionary  literature,  but  which  I  have  by  no  means 
exhausted.  The  list  is,  of  course,  subject  to  additions  and 
corrections.  Some  names  may  be  duplicated  from  the 

Loekman,  John,  S.C.,  Hosp.  Surg.  Mate.  Smith,   Robert,   S.   C.,  Hosp.  Surgeon's 

MeCalla,  Thos.  H.,  S.  C.,  Regt.  Surg.  Mate  and  Chaplain. 

Neufvil'e,  Wm.,  S.  C.,  Regt.  Surgeon.  Sunn,  Frederick,  S.  C.,  Regt.   Surgeon. 

Oliphant,  David,  S.  C.,  Surgeon  Director  Stevens,  Win.  S.,  S.  C.,  Hosp.  Surgeon's 

Gen.  S.  Army.  Mute. 

Perry,  Benj.  L  ,  S.  C.,  Regt.  Surgeon.  Tucker,  Thos.  T.,  S.  C.,  Hosp.  Surgeon. 

Ramsay,  Joseph  H.,   S.  C.,  Hosp.   Sur-  Wharry,  Robert,  S.  C  ,  Regt.  Surgeon's 

geon's  Mate.  Mate. 

Read,  William,  S.  C.,  Hosp.  Surgeon.  Witherspoon,  John,  S.  C.,  Hosp.  Surg. 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  115 

wonderful  and  inexplicable  variation  in  the  spelling,  both  of 
first  and  last  names,  from  their  being  found  as  serving  in 
different  States  and  different  divisions  of  the  army,  and  a 
few  may  have  been  admitted  on  insufficient  evidence  of  ser- 
vice, or  from  hasty  compilation,  that  are  not  entitled,  even 
by  the  liberal  construction  I  have  adopted,  to  the  distinction 
of  medical  men  of  the  revolution. 

You  will,  I  am  sure,  join  me  in  the  hope,  that,  when  in 
the  lapse  of  time  the  United  States  shall  reach  her  second 
centennial  of  independence,  our  people  may  be  found  as  free, 
prosperous,  and  happy  as  at  present — that  the  Alumni  As- 
sociation of  Jefferson  Medical  College  may  be  in  a  flourish- 
ing condition — and  our  Alma  Mater  then,  as  now,  may 
occupy  the  front  rank  of  institutions  for  instruction  in  medi- 
cine in  the  world. 

Gentlemen,  I  thanlc  you  for  your  patient  and  respectful 
attention. 


A  LIST  OF  PHYSICIANS  AND  SURGEONS 

WHO  TOOK  PART  IN  THE  STRUGGLE  FOR  AMERICAN  INDEPENDENCE, 
ARRANGED  ALPHABETICALLY,  GIVING  STATE  AND  SERVICE. 


A 'lams,  Caleb  Greenleaf.  N.  Y  ,  Surg. 

Adams,  David,  Conn.,  Surg. 

Adams,  Elijah,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Adams,  Henry,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Adams,  Joseph,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Adams,  Samuel,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Adams,  Samuel,  Me.,  Surg. 

Adams,  William,  Pa  ,  Surg. 

Ahl,  John  Peter,  Md.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Aldenbruch,  Daniel,  Pa.,  Surg. 

Alexander,  Archibald,  Va.,  Surg. 

Alexander,  Geo.  D.,  Va.,  Surg. 

Alexander,  James  R.,  Md  ,  Surg.  Mate. 

Alexander,  Joseph  M.,  N.  C.,  Memb. 
Conv.  1774. 

Alexander,  Nath.,  N.  C.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Allen,  David,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Allen,  David,  N.  H.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Allen,  Moses,  Md.,  Committee  of  Ob- 
servation. 

Allison,  Benj.,  Pa.,  Surg. 

Allison,  Francis,  Pa.,  Surg  Genl.  Hosp. 

Allison,  R.,  Pa.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Allyn,  Jonathan,  Vt,  Surg.  Mate. 

Ames,  Nathaniel,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Ames,  Seth,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Andrews,  John.  N.  J.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Andrews,  Thomas,  Md.,  Committee  of 
Safety. 

Annin,  \Vm.,  Md.,  Asst.  Surg. 

Appleton,  Abraham,  N.  J.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Appletwhaite,  John,  Surg.  Navy. 

Archer,  John,  Md.,  command  of  Com- 
pany. 

Armstrong,  James,  N.  Y.,  Surg.  Genl. 
Hosp. 

Arnold,  Jonathan,  R.  I.,  Hosp.  Surg. 

Aspinwall.  Wm.,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Atwater,  David,  Conn.,  Surg. 

Aubury,  *  *  *,  N.  H.,  furnished  medi- 
cines. 

Austin,  Caleb,  N.  Y.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Averill,  Jonathan,  Surg.  Brig  "Resist- 
ance." 


Avert,  J.,  N.  J.,  Surg. 

Axon,  Sam  I.  J.,  S.  C.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Bacon,  j'acob,  Mass  ,  Surg.  Mate. 

Bailey,  Dr.  *  *  *,  Mass.,  Committee 
of  Safety. 

Bainbridge,  Absalom,  N.  J.,  proffered 
services  1776 

Baird,  Absalom,  Pa.,  Surg. 

Baker,  Amos,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Baker,  Wm.,  Md.,  Convention. 

Baldwin,  Cornelius,  N.  J.,  Surg. 

Balentine,  Ebenezer,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Ball,  Silas,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Ball,  Stephen,  N.  J.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Ball,  Stephen,  Mass.,  attended  soldiers. 

Ballentine,  Eben.,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Bangs,  Isaac,  Surg.  Mate  Navy. 

Banks,  James,  Va  ,  Surg.  Mate  Navy. 

Bannell,  Amos,  Conn  ,  Surg.  Mate. 

Barber,  Thomas,  N   J.,  Surg. 

Bard,  Samuel,  N.  Y.,  Exam.  Surg. 

Barker,  Abner,  N.  H.,  Surg. 

Barnes,  Simeon,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Barnett,  Oliver,  N.  J.,  Surg. 

Barnett,  Wm.  M.,  N.  J.,  Surg. 

Barret,  Jeremiah,  Conn.,  Surg. 

Bartlett,  Daniel,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Bartlett,  John,  R.  I.,  Surg. 

Bartlett,  Josiah,  N.  H.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Bartlett,  Philip,  Va.,  Surg. 

Bartlett,  Thomas,  N.  H.,  Prov.  Cong. 

Bass,  Robert,  Pa.,  procured  medicines. 

Batchelder,  Joseph,  Mass.,  Prov.  Cong. 

Baylies,  Wm  ,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Beadle,  *  *  *,  Surg. 

Beans,  Wm.,  Md.,  Committee  of  Obser- 
vation. 

Beardsley,  Ebenezer,  Conn.,  Surg. 

Beardsley,  Gershorn,  Conn.,  Surg. 

Beatty,  John,  Pa.,  Surg.  and  Col. 

Beatty,  Reading,  Pa.,  Surg. 

Beaumont,  H.,  N.  J.,  Surg. 

Beecher,  Elisba,  Pa.,  Surg. 

Bensell,  Charles,  Pa.,  Coin,  of  Corr. 


118 


MEDICAL   MEN 


Benzell,  Charles,  Jr.,  Pa.,  attended  sick 
soldiers. 

Belts,  Thaddeus,  Conn.,  Assembly. 

Bicknell,  Josiah,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Billings,  Benjumin,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Binney,  Barnabas,  Pa.,  Hosp.  Surg. 

Bird,  Jonathan,  Conn  .  Surg. 

Bird,  Seth,  Conn.,  Surg.  and  Med. 
Examiner. 

Bishop,  Smith,  Md.,  attended  Capt. 
Watkins'  company. 

Blakely,  Zealous,  Conn  ,  Surg.  Mate. 

Blanchard,  Samuel,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Bland,  Theodoric,  Va.,  Gen.  and  M.  C. 

Blish,  Ezra,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Bloomfield,  Moses,  N.  J.,  Surg.  Prov. 
Cong. 

Blyth,  Joseph,  N.  C.,  Reg't  Surg. 

Boardman,  Stephen,  N.  H.,  Prov.  Cong. 

Bogart,  Nicholas,  R.  I.,  Surg. 

Bond,  Hugh,  N.  C.,  Surg. 

Bond,  Thomas,  Pa.,  Exam.  Surg. 

Bond,  Thomas,  Jr.,  Pa  ,  Surg.  Mate. 

Bordley,  Wm.,  Md.,  Committee  of  Ob- 
servation. 

Bourk,  Thomas,  Md.,  Capt.  of  Militia 

Bo  wen,  Beauaiah,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Bowen,  Joseph,  R.  I.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Bowen,  Pardon. 

Bowie,  *  *  *  Pa.,  Asst.  Surg.  Hosp. 

Boyd,  Benj.,  Md.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Boyd,  Hugh,  N.  C.  Surg. 

Boyd,  John  James,  Surg.  Schooner 
"Gen.  Putnam." 

Boyd,  Kobert,  Pa.,  Surg. 

Boyde,  John,  Md.,  Conv  and  Commit- 
tee of  Observation. 

Brackett,  Joshua,  N.  H.,  Admiralty 
patriot  and  judge. 

Bradford,  Wm.,  R.  I.,  Committee  of 
Safety. 

Bramfield,  *  *  *,  S.  C.,  Surg.  to  Ma- 
rion. 

Breed,  Nathaniel,  N.  H.,  Prov.  Cong. 

Brevard,  Ephraim.  N.  C.,Surg.  Author 
of  Mecklenburg  Dec.  Indp. 

Brewer,  Chauncey,  Mass  ,  Prov.  Cong. 

Brewer,  James. 

Brickett,  James,  Mass.,  Surg.  and 
Lieut. -Col. 

Brickett,  Daniel,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Briggs,  Kichard,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Brigham,  Origen,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Brinkerman,  Valentine,  Surg.  Mate 
Navy. 

Briscoe,  John  Hanson,  Md.,  Surg. 

Britain,  John,  Va.,  Surg.  Mate  Navy. 

Brockenborough,   *  *  *,  Va.,  Surg. 

lirouie,  Ludovick,  Va.,  Surg. 


Brohon,  Jnmes,  Md.,  employed  by  Coun- 
cil Safety. 

Bronson,  Isaac,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Brooks,  John,  Mass  ,  Lieut. -Col. 

Brooks,  Laurence,  N.  H.,  Surg.  on  Ship 
Bon  Homtne. 

Brooke,  Richard,  Md.,  Conv. 

Brooks,  Samuel,  N.  H.,  Prov.  Cong. 

Brown,  Dr.  *  *  *  Md.,  Surg. 

Brown,  Benj.,  N.  H.,  Prov.  Cong. 

Brown,  Danl.,  Mass  ,  Surg.  Mate. 

Brown,  Danl.,  Va.,  Surg.  14  Regt. 

Brown,  Ezekiel,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Brown,  James,  Md.,  Surg. 

Brown,  Joseph,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 

Brown,  Joseph,  Va  ,  Surg. 

Brown,  Joseph,  Pa.,  Surg. 

Brown,  Stephen,  Mass  ,  service  Prov. 
troops 

Brown,  Wm.,  Va.,  Surg. 

Brown,  Wm  ,  Pa.,  Surg.  Mnte. 

Browne,  Dr.  *  *  *,  Md.,  attended 
soldiers. 

Brownfield,  Robt.,  N.  C.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Brownley,  John,  Va.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Brownson,  Nathaniel,  S.  C.,  Surg.  and 
Dep.  Prov. 

Brunson,  Asa,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Bryant,  Wm.,  N.  J.,  Surg 

Buchanan,  James,  Pa.,  Surg. 

Buck,  Henry,  Pa.,  attended  soldiers. 

Buck,  James,  Pa.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Budd,  *  *  *  N.  Y.,  Surg. 

Budd,  Barnabas,  N.  J.,  Surg. 

Budd,  Bernard,  N.  J.,  Surg. 

Budd,  George,  Md.,  Surg.  Ship  Defence. 

Budd,  John,  S.  C.,  Surg. 

Bull,  Thomas,  N.  C.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Bullfinch,  Thomas,  Mass.,  petitioned  to 
establish  a  hospital,  Boston. 

Burke,  Thomas,  N.  C.,  Prov.  Cong. 

Burnap,  Nathan,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Burnell,  Wm.,  N.  J.,  Surg. 

Burnett,  Wm.,  N.  J.,  Phys.  and  Surg.- 
Geril. 

Burnett,  Wm.,  Jr  ,  N.  J.,  Hosp.  Surg. 

Burrell,  Charles,  Pa  ,  service  to  Coun- 
cil Safety. 

Burrett,  Anthony,  Conn.,  Surg. 

Cadwallader,  Thomas,  Pa.,  Surg. 

Caldwell,  Andrew,  Pa.,  Surg.  Mate  in 
Hosp. 

Calvert,  Jonathan,  Va  ,  Surg.  Mate. 

Camington,  Elias. 

Campbell,  Alexander,  Mass.,  Prov. 
Cong. 

Campbell,  Geo.  W.,  N.  J.,  Hosp.  Surg. 

Campbell,  Tasqusir,  N.  (\,  Surg. 

Campfield,  Jabez,  N.  J  ,  Surg. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


119 


Carey,  Dr.,  N.  Y.,  Mustermaster. 
Carling,  Dr.,  Mass.,  furnished  supplies. 
Carmichael,  -John  P.,  Pa.,  Surg    Mate. 
Carrington,  Elias,  Va.,  Exam.  Surg 
Carter,  James,  Va.,  House  and  Ho?p. 
Carter,  Thomas,  Va.,  Surg. 
Carter,  Wm.  Sr.,  Va.,  Surg. 
Caryl,  John,  Va.,  Surg.  Asst. 
Cathcart,  Wm.,  Pa.,  Surg. 
Catlin,  AbSel,  Conn.,  Surg. 
Chace,  John,  R.  I  ,  Surg.  Mate. 
Chadwick,  Edmund,  N.  H.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Chalkers,  Isaac,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate 
Chalmers,  Lional,  S.  C.,  attended  pris- 
oners. 

Chapin,  John,  Va.,  Navy. 
Chaplin,  Benj.,  Va  ,  Surg. 
Chnrlton,  John,  N.  Y.,  Com.  of  Obsv. 
Chase,  John,  R   I.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Chase,  Joshua,  N.  H  ,  Surg.  Mate  Navy. 
Chase,  Josiah,  Pa.,  Surg'.  Mate. 
Chase,  Solomon,  N.  H.,  rendered  service 

to  soldiers. 

Cheeney,  Pennel,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Cheeseman  or  Chisman,  Thomas,  Va., 

Surg.  Mate  Navy. 

Cheever,  Abijah,  Mass..  Surg.  Navy. 
Chester,  Isaac,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Child,  Timothy,  Mass.,  Surg. 
Christie,  Thomas,  Va.,  Surg. 
Church,  Benj.,   Mass.,  First  Director- 

Genl.  and  Phys.  in  Chief  of  the  Hosp. 
Clark,  Hezekiah,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Clark,  John,  Mass.,  Exam.  Surg. 
Clark,  Joseph,  Mass  ,  Surg. 
Clarkson,  Gerardus,  Pa.,  attended  sick 

by  Council  Safety. 

Clayton,  Joshua,  Del.,  Prov.  Conv.  1776. 
Cleaveland,  Parker.  Mass.,  Surg. 
Clements,  Mace,  Va.,  Surg. 
Clinton,  Charles,  N.  Y.,  Prov.  Conv. 
Coale,  Saml.,  Aid.,  furnished  saltpetre. 
Coats,  John,  Mass.,  Surg. 
Coates,  John,  Pa.,  Captain. 
Cobb,  David,  Mass.,  Surg    Mate. 
Cochran,  John,  N.  J.,  Chief  Phys.  and 

Surg.  Army. 

Coffin,  Nathaniel,  Maine,  Patriot. 
Coggswell,  James,  Mass.,  Surg. 
Coggswell,    Mason    F.,    Conn.,    Surg. 

Mate. 

Coggswel!,  Wm.,  N.  IT.,  Surg. 
Cole,  Walter  King,  Va  ,  Surg.  Navy. 
Colhoon.  John,  Pa..  Council  of  Safety 
Coleman,  Asaph.,  Conn.,  Surg. 
Colman,    Noah,    N.     H.,    Surg.    Col. 

Weber's  Regt. 

Conant,  Dr.   *  *  *,  Mass.,  Surg. 
Condict,  J"hn,  N.  J.,  Surg. 


Condit,  John,  N.  J.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Cook,  James.  Surg.  Navy. 
j  Cook,  John.  N.  H.,  Surg.  State  Troops. 
Cook,  Nathaniel,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Cooke,  Samuel,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 
Cooke,  Stephen,  Va.,  Surg 
Cooley,  Samuel,  N.  C.,  Surg. 
Cooper,  Samuel,  N.  C.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Corbet,  John,  Mass.,  Prov.  Cong. 
Cornelius,  Elias,  R.  I.,  Surg.  Mate  Line. 
Coskey,  A.  M.,  Surg. 
Coskey,  Wm.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Courts,    Richard    Henly,    Md.,    Surg. 

Mate. 

Coventry,  John,  Pa.,  Hosp.  Mate. 
Cowell,   David,   paid    for    services    by 

Congress. 

Cowell,  John,  Pa.,  Hosp.  Surg. 
Cox,  John,  Pa.,  Maj.  Phil.  Militia. 
Craddock,  Thos.,  Md  ,  Bait.  Committee 

Safety. 
Craig,  Dr.  *  *  *,  Md.,  took  care  of 

Md.  Militia. 
Craigie,  Andrew,  Mass.,  Apothecary  to 

Colony. 

Craik,  James,  Va.,  Phys.  Gen.  to  Army. 
Crane,  John,  Mass.,  Surg. 
Crane,  John,  S.  C.,  Apothecary. 
Crane,  Joseph,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 
Crane,  Jos.,  N.  Y  ,  Prov.  Cong  Surg. 
Craven,  Dr.,  N.  J.,  Surg. 
Cregier,  John,  N  Y.,  Surg. 
Crocker,  John,  Mass.,  Surg. 
Crocker,  John,  Jr.,  Mass..  Surg. 
Crosby,  Ebenezer,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 
Crosby,    Samuel,     Mass.,    Surg.    Col. 

Ward's  Regt. 
Grossman,  Dr.,  Mass.,  kept  account  of 

Indian  affairs  for  Government. 
Cummins,  Robert,  N.  J.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Currie,    Wm.,     Pa.,     Surg.     furnished 

medicines. 

Curtis,  Benj  ,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 
Curtiss,  Samuel,  N.  H.,  Surg. 
Cushing,  John,  N.  H.,  Surg  Mate  Navy. 
Gushing,  Lemuel,  Mass.,  Surg. 
Cutter,  A.  R.,  Mass  ,  Surg. 
Cutting,  John  Brown,  Del.,  Apothecary. 
Daggett,  F.benezer,  Mass.,  Prov.  Cong. 
Dakin,  Amos,  N.  H.,  House  of  Reps. 
Dating,  Timothy,  Mass.,  Surg. 
Daly,  James,  Surg.  Navy. 
Darcy.  John,  PH..  Surg.  Mnte. 
Dashiell,  Wm.,  Md.,  Surg.  M;ite. 
Davidson,  Jnmes,  Pa.,  Surg. 
i  Davies,  John,  Pa.,  Surg. 
Davies,  Joseph,  Pa.,  Surg. 
D:\vi?,  John,  Pa.,  Surg. 
Davis,  John,  N.  C.,  Surg. 


120 


MEDICAL   MEN 


Davis,  Joseph,  Va.,  Surg. 

Davis,  Samuel,  PH.,  Hosp.  Surg.  Mate. 

Day,  Elkanab,  N.  Y.,  Cnpt.  and  Memb. 

Committee  of  Safety. 
Day,  Isaac,  Conn.,  Surg. 
Dayton,  David,  N.  Y.,  Prov.  Cong. 
Dayton,    Jonathan,  S.    C.,  services  to 

prisoners. 

Dearborn,  Henry,  N.  H.,  Mnj.  Gen. 
Dearborn,  Levi,  N.  H.,  Prov.  Cong. 
De  Benneville,  Daniel,  Va.,  Surg. 
De  Bevier,  *  *  *,  France,  Surg.  Mate 
DeFlorat,  Jean    Augustus,   Pa.,    Surg. 

Mate. 

Degraw,  Walter,  N.  J.,  Convention. 
Delahowe,  Dr.,  S.  C.,  attended  wounded 

soldiers. 

Delaney,  Sharp,  Pa.,  rendered  service. 
De  Lavergne,  Benj  ,  N.  Y.,  Prov.  Cong. 
Denwood,  Levin,  Md.,  Surg. 
Detrick,  Michael,  Pa.,  Surg.  Mate. 
De  Witt,  Benj  ,  N.  Y.,  Prov.  Cong. 
Dexter,  Wm.,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Dickenson,  John,  Conn.,  Exam.  Surg. 

Conn.  Assem. 

Dickinson,  Dr.,  Surg.  Mate  Navy. 
Dickinson,  Nathaniel,  Vt.,  Surg. 
Diggs,  Joseph,  Md.,  Com.  of  Obsv. 
Dinsmore,  Wm.,  Mass.,  Prov.  Cong. 
Dixou,  Anthony,  Va.,  Surg. 
Dixon,  Anthony  F.,  Va.,  Surg. 
Dixon  or  Nixon,  Anthony  Tucker,  Va., 

Surg. 

Dodson,  Robert,  Va.,  Surg.  Mate  Navy. 
Donaldson,  Dr.,  Mass.,  killed    by  the 

British. 

Donning,  Richard,  Md.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Dorris,  Wm.  B.,  Tenn.,  Surg. 
Dorsey,  John,  N.  J  ,  Surg.  Mate. 
Dorsey,  John,  Md.,  Surg. 
Dorsey,  Nathan,  Md.,  Surg.  Mate  Ship 

"  Defence." 

Douglas,  John,  Pa.,  Surg. 
Downer,   Abraham,    N.    H.,    proffered 

services. 

Downer,  Avery,  Conn.,  Surg. 
Downer,  Eliphalet,  Mass.,  Surg. 
Draper,  George,  Va.,  Surg. 
Draper,  George,  N.  J.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Drown    or    Drowne,    Solomon,    R.    I., 

Surg. 

Du  Barry,  Wm.,  Pa.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Duff,  Dr.  Newport,  Del.,  Surg.  of  the 

"  Due  de  Lanzeu." 
Duff,  Edward,  Va.,  Surg. 
Duffield,    Benj.,    Pa.,    attended    pest- 
house. 

Duffield,  John,  Pa.,  Surg.  Mate  Navy. 
Duffield,  John,  Mass.,  Surg. 


Duffield.  Samuel,  Pa.,  Surg.  Navy. 
Dunham,  Lewis  F.,  N.  J.,  Surg. 
Dunham,  Lewis.  Surg.  Mate  Navy. 
Dunham,  Obadiuli,  N.  H.,  Genl.  Conven. 
Dunlnp,  James,  Pa  .  Surg.  Navy. 
Dunsmore,  Wm  ,    Mass.,    Surg.    Prov. 

Cong. 

Durant,  Edward,  Mass  ,  Surg. 
Durham,  Abijah,  N.  H  ,  Gen.  Conven. 
Dusenbury,  Win.,  N.  Y.,  applicant  for 

a  Surgeoncy. 

Dwight,  Dr.,  Mass  ,  Prov.  Cong. 
Dyar,  Benj.,  Conn.,  furn'sh  medicines. 
Dyer,  .Tared,  R   I  ,  Surg. 
Eager,  Geo.,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 
Eaker,  Joseph,  Pa.,  attended  soldiers. 
Easton,  Jonathan,  R.  I  ,  attended  a  sick 

soldier. 
Edminston,  Samuel,  Pa.,  second  Surg. 

Genl.  Hosp. 
Edwards,  Enoch,  N.  J.,  Surg.   Com.  of 

Obsv. 
Edwards,  Joshua,  Conn.,  Surg.    Mate 

Navy. 

Edwards,  Joshua,  Pa.,  Surg. 
Egbert,  Jacob  V  ,  Ga.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Ehrenzeller,  Jacob,  Pa.,  Surg. 
Elbert,  John  L.,  Md.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Elderkin,  Joshua,  Conn.,  employed  by 

Committee  of  Safety. 
Eliott,  Benj.,  S.  C.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Ellicott,  *  *  *,  Conn  ,  Surg. 
Elliot,    Dr.,     Mass.,    consulted    as    to 

mortality,  Boston. 
Elliott,  John,  N.  Y.,  Surg   Mate. 
Ellis,  Benj.,  Coun.,  Surg. 
Elmer,  Ebenezer,  N   J.,  Surg. 
Elnrer,  Moses,  N.  J.,  Surg. 
Ely,  Benj.,  N.  Y.,  subscriber  to  N.  Y. 

Assoc. 

Ely,  Elisha,  Conn  ,  Surg.  Mate. 
Ely,  John,  Conn.,  Surg.  and  Mnj. 
Emerson,  Samuel,  Mass.,  Surg. 
Endicott,  John,  Mass.,  Surg    Mate. 
Endicott,  Samuel,  N.  H.,  Surg. 
English,  James,  N.  J.,  Surg.  Mute. 
Ervin,  David,  N.  J.,  Surg. 
Eustis,  Wm.,   Mass.,  Surg.,  Governor, 

Sec.  of  War,  etc. 

Evans,  George,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Ewen,  David,  N.  J.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Ewing,  Thomas,  N.  J.,  Surg.  and  Mnj. 
Fague,  Dr.,  Conn.,  Surg. -Gen. 
Fairbanks,  George,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Fallen,  James,  Surg.  Navy. 
Fanning,  John,  Conn.,  Surg. 
Farrar,  Tield,  S.  C.,  Surg.  1'rov.  Cong. 
Farrish,  Robert,  Va.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Fay,  Jonas,  Vt.,  Council  Safety. 


OF    THE   REVOLUTION. 


121 


Fayssoux,    Peter,    S.  C.,  Chief   Phys. 

Hosp.  S.  Dept. 
Fenton,  Joseph,  Pa.,  Surg. 
Fergus,  James,  N.  C.,  Surg. 
Ferguson,  Robert,  Va.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Ferguson,  Saml.,  S.  C.,  Surg. 
Feron,  J.,  France,  Surg.  Mnjor. 
Field,  Snmuel,  Conn.,  Conn.  Assembly. 
Finley,   Dr.  *  *  *,  Md.,  recommended 

for  Surgeoncy. 

Finley,  James  E.  B  ,  S.  C.,  Regt.  Surg. 
Finley,  James  B.,  Mass.,  Surg. 
Finley,  Joseph,  Mass.,  Surg. 
Finley,  Snmuel,  Mass.,  Surg. 
Fisher,  Adam,  Md.,  Council  of  Safety. 
Fisher,  Joshua,  Mass.,  Surg.  Navy. 
Fisk,  Ebenezer,  N.  H.,  atten.  wounded 

soldiers. 

Fisk,  Joseph,  Mass.,  Surg. 
Fiske,  Caleb,  R.  I  ,  Surg. 
Fitch,  Asenl,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Flngg,  Henry  Collins,  S.  C.,  Surg   and 

Dept.  Apoth.  Genl.  in  the  South. 
Flngg,  John,  Mass.,  Lieut.-Col.  of  Mi- 
litia. 
Foot,  Nathan,  N.  H.,  protested  against 

retreat  from  Onion  R. 
Forgue,  Fruncis,  Conn.,  Surg. 
Forman,  Wm.,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 
Fosdick,  Thomas,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Foster,  Abiel,  N.  H.,  Genl.  Assembly. 
Foster,  Isaac,   Mass.,    Direct.-Gen.   of 

Hosp.  in  E.  Dept. 
Foushsee  or  Faushee,  Wm.,  Va. 
Freeland,  James,  Mass.,  Surg. 
Freeman,  Melancthon,  N.  J.,  Surg.  in 

Militia. 
Freeman,  Nathaniel,  Mass.,  Brig.-Gen. 

Militia. 
Fridges,    Harris   Clary,    Mass.,   Surg. 

Mate. 

Fullerton,  Humphrey,  Va.,  Surg. 
Fullon,  James,  Pa.,  Surg.  in  Hospital, 

Philada. 

Gale,  Benj.,  Conn.,  Exam.  Surg. 
Gale,  Samuel,  Conn.,  Surg. 
Gait,  John  Minson,  Va.,  Hosp.  Surg. 
Gait,  Patrick,  Va.,  Surg. 
Garden,  Alex.,  S.  C.,  Surg.  to  Prisoners. 
Gardiner,  Richard,  Pa.,  Surg. 
Gardiner,  Samuel,  Mass,  Com.  of  Suf- 
folk. 

Gardner,  John,  N.  Y.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Gardner,  Joseph,  Pa.,  Signer  of  Cont'l 

bills  of  credit. 

Gardner,  N.,  N.  Y.,  Gen.  and  Surg. 
Gay,  Samuel,  Va.,  Surg. 
Geekie,  James,  N.  C.,  Surg. 
Gerwood,  Wm.,  Md.,  Surg.  Mate. 


Gibson,  John,  Va.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Giddings.  John,  N.  H.,  Assembly. 
Gilbert,  Ebenezer,  Surg.  of  Ship  "Re- 
venge." 

Gilder,  Reuben,  Del.,  Surg. 
Giles,  Dr.,  Apothecary  General. 
Gill,  James,  Surg.  of  Artillery. 
Gillett,  *  *  *,  S.  C.,  Surg. 
Oilman,   Josiah,   N.    H.,    Inspector   of 

Saltpetre. 

Gilmer,  George,  Va.,  Ho?p.  Surg. 
Glentworth,  Geo.,  Pa  ,  Surg. 
Glover,  Samuel  H.,  Muss  ,  Surg.  Mate. 
Goodwin,  Francis   L.   B.,   Masa.   Surg. 

Mate. 
Gordan,  James,  Md.,  allowed  to  import 

chest  of  medicine. 
Goss,  Eben  Hnrden,  Mass.,  Surg. 
Gould,  David,  Va.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Gould,  David,  Sr.,  Va.,  Surg. 
Gould,  Witham,  Va.,  Surg. 
Gove,  John,  N.   H.,   Hillsborough  Co. 

Cong. 

Graham,  Andrew,  Conn.,  Surg   Mate. 
Graham,  Chauncy,  N.  Y.,  attended  sick. 
Graham,  Geo.,  N.  Y.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Graham,  Isaac,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Graham,    Isaac    Gilbert,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 

Mate. 

Graham,  John  Augustus,  N.  Y.,  attend- 
ed a  prisoner. 

Graham,  Lewis,  N.  Y.,  Prov.  Cong. 
Graham,  Robert,  N.  Y.,  Prov.  Cong. 
Graham,  Stephen,  N.  Y.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Graham,  \Vm.,  Va.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Grant,   Daniel,  Md.,  furnished  a  room 

to  Com.  Safety. 

Gray,  James,   Md.,  Com.  of  Observa- 
tion. 
Gray,   Samuel,    Mass.,   had   charge   of 

prisoners. 

Gray,  Thomns,  Mass  ,  Surg.  Mate. 
Gray,  Thomas.  Conn  ,  Surg.  Mate. 
Green,  Benjamin,  N.  II  ,  Surg.  Mate. 
Green,  Charles,  Va.,  Surg. 
Green,  Ezra,  N.  H.,  Surg.  Navy. 
Green,  James,  N.  C.,  Surg 
Green,  Peter,  N.  H.,  Surg. 
Greene,  Jas.  W.,  N   C.,  Phys.  and  Surg. 
Greer,  Charles,  Va.,  Surg 
Gregg,  Amos,  Pa.,  Supr.  Ex.  Coun.  Pa. 
Gregur,  Dr.  *  *  *,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 
Grier,  Chas.,  Va..  Navy. 
Griffin,  Corbin,  Va.,  State  Surg. 
Griffith,  David,  Va.,  Surg.  and  Chnp. 
Griffith,  John,  Md.,  Services  iu  Hosp. 

at  Bait. 

Griffiths,  S.  P.,  Pa.,  served  wounded. 
Gross,  Ebeuezer  H.,  N.  II.,  Surg. 


122 


MEDICAL   MEN 


Guest,  James,  Pa.,  Surg   and  Lieut.       ! 
Guild,  Sumuel,  Surg.  Mate  on  Frigate 

"  Alliance." 

Guion,  Isaac.  N    C.,  Snrg. 
Guiteau,  Ephraim,  Mass.,   Prov.  Cong. 
Guston,  Dr.   *  *  *,  Surg.  Mute. 
Hagan,  Francis,  N.  Y.,  Assist. -Surg. 
Haig,  Dr.,  *  *  *,  S.  C.,  Gen'l  Ass'mbly. 
Hale,  Mordecai,  N.  Y.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Haley,  J.,  S.  C.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Hall,  Jeremiah,  Mass.,  Prov.  Cong. 
Hall,  John,  Me.,  Surg.  Mate 
Hall,  Joseph,  Md.,  Surg. 
Hall,  Lyman,  Ga.,  Cont.  Cong. 
Hall,  Mordecai,  N.  Y.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Hall,  Nathaniel,  Mass  ,  Surg.  Mate. 
Hall,  Percival,  Mass.,  Surg. 
Hall,  Robert,  N.  C.,  Surg. 
Hall,  Wm.,  Md.,  Surg. 
Halliday,  Leonard,  Md.,  Com.  of  Ob- 
servation. 
Hallet,    Joseph,    freighted    goods    for 

Cont.  Cong. 

Hailing,  S  ,  Pa.,  Surg.  Hosp.  Bethelem. 
Halsey,  Silas,  N.  Y.,  Com.  of  Observa- 
tion, 
Halsey,  Stephen,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 

Hamilton,  James,  Pa.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Hamm,  Valentine,  Va.,  Surg. 
Hammell,  John,   N.  Y.,  applied  for  a 
Surgeoncy. 

Hammell,  John,  N.  J.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Hampton,  John,  N.  J.,  Surg. 

Hand,  Edward,  Pa.,  Surg.  and  Brig.- 
Gen. 

Hansford,  Gary  H.,  Va.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Harris,  Chas.,  N.  C.,  Doctor. 

Harris,  Isaac,  N.  J.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Harris,  Jacob,  N.  J.,  Surg. 

Harris,  Robert,  Pa.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Harris,     Robert,     Pa.,     manufactured 
Gunpowder  for  Cong. 

Harris  (Tucker),  S.  C.,  Surg. 

Harrison,  Elisba,  Md.,  Surg,  Mate. 

Harrison,     Joseph,     Hosp.     tourg.     at 
Bethlehem. 

Hart,  John,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Hart,  Josiah,  Conn.  Surg. 

Hart,  Oliver.  N.  C.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Hart,  Wm.,  N.  J.,  Com.  of  Cor. 

Harvey,  Josiah,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Hastings,  Walter,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Hatch,  Josiuh,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Hathaway,  Daniel,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Haviland,  Eberu-zer,  N    Y.,  Surg. 

Hawse,  James,  Mass.,  Pro?.  Cong. 

Hay,  Joseph,  Va.,  Surg. 

Hayne,  Ezekiel.  Md  ,  Surg. 

Haynes,  Pardon,  Mass.,  Soldier,  etc. 


Hayward,  Lemuel,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Hazleton,  John,  Vt.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Henderson,  G.,  Surg.  Mate  in  Navy. 

Henderson,  Thomas,  N.  J.,  Com.  of  Ob- 
servation. 

Henrlry,  Thomas,  N.  J  ,  Surg.  ^late. 

Henry,  Robt.  R.,  N.  J.,  Surg. 

Herrick,  Martin,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Hewins,  Elijah,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Hewitt,  Caleb,  Pa.,  Surg. 

Hezzeltine,  Saml.,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Hill,  John,  N.  Y.,  sought  appoint,  of 
Surg 

Hilton,  Isaac,  Me..  Surg. 

Hindman,  John,  Md.,  Surg. 

Hinds,  Nehemiah,  Mass.,  Chief  Surg. 

Hitchcock,  Gad,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Hodge,  Hugh,  Pa.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Hodgkins,  Francis,  N.  H.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Holbrook,  Amos,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Holbrook,  Silas,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Hole,  Dr.,  Pa.,  Col.  and  Surg. 

Holeky,  John,  Surg.  Mate  on  Frigate 
"Alliance." 

Holmes,  David,  Conn.,  Surg. 

Holmes,  David,  Va.,  Surg. 

Holmes,  James,  N.  J.,  Surg. 

Holmes,  Silas,  Conn.,  Surg. 

Holten,  Samuel,  Mass.,  House  Reps. 

Homans,  John,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Hopkins,  Lemuel,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Horton,  Jonathan,  N.  J.,  Surg. 

Hosmer,  Timothy,  Conn.,  Surg. 

Hugh,  Walter,  Conn.,  Surg. 

Houston,  James,  S.  C.,  Surg. 

Hovey,  Ivory,  N.  H.,  durg. 

How,  Nehemiah,  Mass.,  attended  sick. 

Howard,  Ephraim,  Md.,  Mem.  Conv. 

Howard,  Lemuel,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Howard,  Thomas  Henry,  Md.,  Surg. 
Mate. 

Howell,  Lewis,  N   J.,  Surg. 

Hubard,  Leverett,  Exam.  Surg. 

Hubbard,  Jacob,  N.  J.,  Surg. 

Humbery,  Fred.,  N.  C.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Hunt,  Joseph,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Hunter,  George,  Va.,  Surg.  in  Navy. 

Hurd,  Isaac,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Hutchinson,  James,  Pa..  Navy  Hosp. 

Hyde,'  Phineas,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Imes,  John,  N.  Y.,  Com.  of  Observation. 

Ingram,  J.,  N.  C.,  Surg. 

Ireland,  John,  Md.,  Com.  of  Observa- 
tion. 

Irvine,  Matthew,  Va.,  Surg. 

Irvine,  Wm.,  S.  C.,  Surg. 

Ives,  Levi.  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Jackson,  David.  Pa.,  Surg. 

Jacksou,  Hall,  N.  H.,  Surg. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


123 


Jackson,  Joshua  Hall,  N.  H. 

Jameson,  David,  .rendered  services  to 
soldiers. 

Jamieson,  Wm.,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Jemmison,  Wm.,  Mass.,  1'rov.  Cong. 

Jenifer,  Daniel,  Jr.,  Md.,  Surg. 

Jenifer,  Daniel,  Md.,  Surg. 

Jennings,  Jacob,  of  N.  J.,  Surg. 

Jennings,  John,  Va..  Surg.  Mate  Navy. 

Jennings,  Michael,  Pa.,  Surg. 

Jepson,  Wm.,  Conn.,  Surg. 

Jerauld,  Gorton,  R.  I.,  Surg. 

Jewell,  Gibbons,  Conn.,  Reg't  Sarg. 

Jewett,  Gibbon,  Conn.,  Surg. 

Johnes,  Timothy,  N.  J.,  Surg. 

Johnson,  Dr.,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 

Johnson,  Edward,  Md.,  Com.  of  Obser- 
vations. 

Johnson,  John,  Md.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Johnson,  Robert,  N.  Y.,  Phya.  Gen. 
Hosp. 

Johnson,  Robert,  Pa.,  Surg. 

Johnston,  Uzal,  N.  J.,  Surg. 

Johnston,  Wm.,  Surg   Mate  Navy. 

Johonnot,  Wm.,  France,  Assist.  Apoth. 
Gen.  for  Hosp.  Dept.  Potomac. 

Jones,  Dr.  *  *  *,  N.  H.,  Surg. 

Jones,  David,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Jones,  James,  Pa.,  Surg. 

Jones,  John,  N.  Y.,  Surg.  and  Examiner. 

Jones,  Nathaniel,  Mass.,  Com.  Safety. 

Jones,  N.  W.,  Ga.,  Spr.  Ga.  House. 

Jones,  Reuben,  N.  H.,  Ck.,  Com.  N.  H. 
Grants. 

Jones,  Timothy,  N.  J.,  Surg. 

Jones,  Thomas,  N.  Y  ,  made  Inventory 
of  Med. 

Jones,  Walter,  Va.,  Surg. 

Jordan,  Clement,  Mass.,  Com.  Cor. 

Joslyn,  Joseph,  R.  I.,  Surg. 

Julian,  John,  Va.,  Surg. 

Kameston,  Reuben,  protested  against 
leaving  Onion  River. 

Keemle,  John,  Pa.,  Surg. 

Keene,  Saml.  F.,  Md.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Kemp,  Thomas,  Va.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Kenedy,  Joseph,  N.  C.,  Com.  purchase 
Military  Stores. 

Kennedy,  Samuel,  Pa.,  Surg. 

Keys,  Zacariah,  N.  Y.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Kilty,  Wm./Md.,  Surg. 

King,  Jonathan,  Mass.,  petitioned  Con- 
gress to  Manufacture  Chemicals. 

King,  Miles,  Va.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Kingberry,  Asa,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Kittredge,  Thos.,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Kneelnnd,  Dr.,  Mass.,  the  Records  of 
the  Probate  Office  were  secured  in  his 

•   house. 


Knight,  Isaac,  Conn,,  Surg. 

Knieht,  John,  Va.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Knight,  Jno.,  Va.,  Surg. 

Knight,  Jonathan,  Conn.,  Surg. 

Knood,  Samuel  Y.,  Md.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Knowles,  James,  N.  H.,  House  of  Reps. 

Kuhn,  Adam,   Pa.,  Director-General  of 
Hospital. 

Ladley,  Andrew,  Pa.,  Surg.  12th  Pa. 

Lajournade,  Alex.,  Va.  or  Md.,  Surg. 
Mate,  in  Artillery. 

Land,  Chas.,  Va.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Landrum,  Thomas,  Va.,  Surg.  Mate  in 
Navy  and  Army. 

Langton,  Wm.,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Latham,  Dr.   *  *  *,  N.  Y.,  attended  a 
sick  soldier. 

Latimer,  Henry,  Del.,  Surg. 

Lay,  Lee,  Conn.,  Com.  of  Safety. 

Leavenworth,    Nathan,    Mass.,    Surg. 
Mate. 

Ledger,  Dr.  *  *  *,  N.  Y.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Ledlie,  Andrew,  Pa..  Surg. 

Ledyard,  Isaac,  N.  Y.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Lee,  Arthur, 'Va.,  Diplomatist. 

Lee,  Jonathan,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Lee,  Joseph,  N.  H.,  attended  sick  sol- 
diers. 

Lee,  Samuel,  Conn.,  Surg.  ship  "  Oliver 
Cromwell." 

Leibt,  Michael,  Pa.,  attended  soldiers. 

Lemmon,  Robert,  Md.,  Com.  of  Obser- 
vation. 

Lewis,  Joseph,  Conn.,  Surg. 

Lewis,  Wm  ,  N.  C  ,  Surg.  Mate. 

Lind,   *  *  *,  Surg.  Canada  Dept. 

Linn,  John,  Director  of  Hosp.   in  dis- 
trict of  Quebec. 

Little,  Dr.  *  *  *,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Livingston,  Justice,  Va.,  Surg.  in  Navy. 

Lockman,  Chas.,  S.  C.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Lockman,    John,    S.    C.,    Hosp.    Surg. 
Mate. 

Long,  John,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Loomis,  Jonathan,  N.  C.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Lord,  Elisha,  Conn.,  Exam.  Surg. 

Lord,  John,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Lord,  Josiali,  Surg. 

Loree  or  Loring,  Ephraim,  N  J.,  Surg. 
Mate. 

Loring,    Geo.    Bailey,    Mass.,     Hosp. 
Surg. 

Lothrop,  Dr.  *  *  *,  furnished  Med. 

Love,   David,   N.   C.,   acct.   settled  for 
services  in  Revolutionary  \\s\r. 

Ludwig.  Chas.,  Pa.,  Surg. 

Lyles,  Richard,  Md.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Lynd,  John,  Surg.  in  Canada. 

Lynn,  Juo.  L.,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 


124 


MEDICAL   MEN 


Lyon  or  Lyons,  John,  Va  ,  Surg.  Mate. 
Lyon,  Wm.,  Md.,  Com.  of  Observation. 
Macck,  Jacob,  N.  Y.,  Surg.  on  Lakes. 
Mackay,  Andrew,  Mass.,  Surg. 
Mackay,  Robert,  Va  ,  Surg. 
Mackenzie,  *  *  *,  Md.,  authorized  to 

buy  Medicines. 

Maclean,  Wm.,  N.  C.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Magaw,  Wm.,  Pa.,  Surg. 
Malcolm,  Henry,  Pa.,  Surg.  Nary. 
Manis,  James,  Md.,  Surg. 
Mann,  James,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 
Mann,  Oliver,  Mass.,  Surg. 
Mann,  Perez,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Manning,  John,  Mass.,  Surg. 
Manning,  Luther,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 
March,  Dr.  *  *  *,  N.  H.,  House  of  Rep. 
Marshall,    Jenifer,    Va.,    Surg.    Mate 

Navy. 

Marshall,  Thomas,  Md.,  Surg. 
Martin,  Ennals,  Md.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Martin,  Hugh,  Va.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Martin,  Hugh,  Pa.,  Surg. 
Martin,  James,  N.  C.,  Surg.  Navy. 
Martin,  John  R.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Marvin,  Ebenezer,  Mass.,  Services  and 

furnished  Medicines. 
Marvin,  Joseph,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 
Mason,  Reuben,  R.  1.,  Surg. 
Mather,  Eleazer,  Conn.,  Surg. 
Mather,    Samuel,    Conn.,     Surg.    and 

Capt. 

Mather,  Timothy,  R.  I.,  Surg. 
Mattoon,  Samuel,  N.  H.,  attended  sick 

soldiers. 

Maus,  Matthew,  Pa.,  Surg. 
McAdams,  Joseph,  Va.,  Surg.  Mate. 
McCalla,  Thos.  H.,  S.  C.,  Reg.  Surg. 
McCalla,  Tbos.  M.,  Pa.,  Surg. 
McCarter,  Chas.,  N.  J.,  Surg. 
McCauley,   Dr.,    Conn.,    Surg.    taken 

prisoner. 
McClean,  Dr.,  N.  Y.,   furnished   Ship 

"Asia"  with  Medicine. 
McClean,  Archibald,  Pa.,  siezed  Estates 

of  Loyalists. 

McCloskey,  Samuel  A.,  Pa.,  Surg. 
McClosky,  Wm.,  Pa.,  Surg.  Mate. 
McClure,  Wm.,  N.  C.,  Surg. 
McClurg,  James,  Va.,  Surg. 
McClurg,  Walter,  Va.,  Surg. 
McCoffrey,  Samuel  A.,  Pa.,  Surg. 
McCoskey,  Alex.,  Pa.,  Surg. 
McCoskey,  Wm  ,  Pa.,  Surg.  Mate. 
McCowell,  D.,  Pa.,  Surg.  of  Phila.  Army 

Hosp. 

McCrea,  Stephen,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 
McDonough,  Thomas,  Del.,  Major. 
McDowl,  John,  Pa.,  Surg. 


McElyea,  John,  N.  C.,  Surg. 
McHenry,  Matthew,-  Pa.,   Surg.   Prov. 
Ship  "  Montgomery." 

McKenney,  *  *  *,  Surg.  Canada  Dept. 

McKenry,  James,  Pa.,  Surg.  and  Major. 

McKenzie,  Samuel,  Pa.,  Surg. 

McKinly,  John,  Del.,  Surg. 

McKnitt,  Joseph,  N.  C.,  Conv.  and  Com. 
Safety. 

McKnight,  Chas.,  N   Y.,  Surg. 

McLain,  Win.,  Va.,  Surg.  Mate. 

McMeechen,  Wm.,  Va.,  Surg. 

McNickle,  John,  Va.,  Surg.  Mate, 

McNight,  *  *  *,  N.  Y.,  Hosp.  Surg. 

Mead,  Amos,  Conn.,  Memb.  Assembly. 

Mead,  Wm.,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 

Mechen,  Wm.,  Va.,  Surg. 

Menema,  Daniel,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 

Mercer,  Hugh,  Va.,    Surg.  and   Brig.- 
Gen. 

Merriam,  Silas,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Merrick,  Samuel   Fiske,   Mass.,   Surg. 
Mate. 

Metcalf,  Dr.  *  *  *,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 

Middleton,  Alex.,  Va.,  furnished  Med. 
Army. 

Middleton,  Bassett,  Va.,  Surg. 

Middleton,  Peter,  N.  Y.,  attended  pris- 
oners. 

Miller,  Aaron  John,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Miller,  Benj.,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 

Miller,  Edward,  Del.,  Hosp.  Mate. 

Miller,   Fiuley,  Md.,  Surg.  Mate  26th 
Regt. 

Miller,  John,  Del.,  Surg. 

Minot,  Tim'y,  Mass.,  attended  wounded 
at  Concord. 

Molleson,  Wm.,  Md.,  Com.  of  Corr. 

Monroe,  Geo.,  Del.,  Surg. 

Montgomery,  Samuel,  R    I.,  Surg. 

Mooers,  Dr.   *  *  *,  N.  H.,  applied  for 
Commission. 

Moore,  Henry,  N.  Y.,  Hosp.  Surg.  Mate. 

Moore,  Snml.,  Surg. 

Moore,    Samuel    Preston,    Pa.,    Prov. 
Treasurer. 

Mory,  Samuel,  N.  H.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Morgan,  Abel,  Fa.,  Surg.  and  Lieut. 

Morgan,  Benj.,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Morgan,  Benuet,  N.  C.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Morgan,  John,  Pa.,  Phys.  and  Director- 
General  of  Hospitals. 

Morrill,  Samuel,  N.  H.,  rendered  pro- 
fessional services. 

Morris,  James,  Md.,  Surg. 

Morris,  Jonathan,   Pa.,  Committee   of 
Safety. 

Morris,  Jonathan   Ford,  N.    J.,   Surg. 
and  Lieut. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


125 


Morrow.  Dr  *  *  *,  Surg.  of  Ship 
"  Hyder  Ali." 

Morrow,  David,  Md.,  Surg. 

Morrow,  Samuel,  Md.,  Surg. 

Morse,  Moses,  Mass.,  Prov.  Cong. 

Motett,  Lewis,  S.  C.,  Surg. 

Moultrie,  John,  S.  C.,  Surg. 

Mullican.  Isaac,  Mnss.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Munro,  Stephen,  R.  I.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Munroe,  George,  Va.,  Surg. 

Munson,  Aneas,  Conn.,  Surg. 

Murdock,  James,  N.  J.,  discharged  from 
Surgeoncy. 

Murray,  David,  Va.,  Surg.  Mate  Navy. 

Murray,  Henry,  Va.,  Surg. 

Murrow,  David,  Md.,  Surg. 

Murry,  Win.,  furnished  Med.  and  ren- 
dered Prof,  services. 

Neal,  Francis,  Md.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Nelson,  John,  Md.,  Surg. 

Neufville,  Wm.,  S.  C.,  Regt.  Surg. 

Newman,  *  *  *,  Pa.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Nichols,  Moses,  N.  H.,  General  and 
House  of  Representatives. 

Nicholson,  Geo.,  N.  Y.,  applied  for 
Surg.  Mate. 

Nicholson,  Robert,  Va.,  Surg. 

Norton,  Elias,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Noyes,  Enoch,  N.  H.,  Prov.  Cong. 

Noyes,  John,  Conn.,  Surg. 

Nye,  Samuel,  Mass.,  Surg.  Navy. 

Olcott,  Geo.,  Conn.,  Surg. 

Oldenbruck,  Daniel,  Pa  ,  Surg. 

Oliphant,  David,  S.  C.,  Surg.  Director- 
General  S.  Army. 

Oliver,  Nathaniel,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 

O'Neal,  Francis,  PH.,  Surg. 

Osborn,  Cornelius,  N.  Y  ,  Surg. 

Osborn,  John,  N.  Y.,  furnished  Supplies. 

Osgood,  Dr.,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Otto,  Bodo,  Pa.,  Surg 

Otto,  Bodo,  Jr.,  N   J.,  Surg.  Mute. 

Otto,  Frederick,  N.  J.,  Surg. 

Otto,  John,  Pa.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Outwnter,  Thomas,  N.  Y.,  Com.  of  Ob- 
servation. 

Packer,   *  •*  *,  Surg.  Northern  Dept. 

Page,  William,  Vt.,  Surg. 

Pal  lifer,  Jacques,  R   I.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Paris,  Peter,  Pa.,  Surg. 

Parish,  John,  R.  I.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Pnrk,  Daniel,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Parke,  Thomns,  Pa.,  attended  Soldiers. 

Parker,  Daniel,  Mass. 

Parker,  Wm.,  N.  H.,  Surg   Navy. 

Parker,  Wm.,  Jr.,  N.  H.,  Surg. 

Parley,  Abraham,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Parnham,  John,  Md.,  Com.  of  Observa- 
tion. 


Parton,  Wm.,  N.  C.,  Surg. 

Pasture,  Wm  ,  N.  C.,  Surg. 

Patterson,  Robert,  N.  J.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Patterson,  Robert,  Pa.,  Surg. 

Pnyton,  V.,  Pa.,  Surg.  Mate  Hosp. 

Peabody,  Nathaniel,  Muss  ,  Surg.  and 
Gen. 

Peabody,  Thos.,  N.  H.,  Chairman  Com. 
Safety. 

Peacock,  John,  Surg.  Mate. 

Peason,  David,  N.  J.,  Surg.  Militia. 

Peck,  Chas  ,  N.  Y.,  Surg.  (employed  as). 

Pelham,  Wm.,  Vn.,  Surg. 

Pell,  Ithurial,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 

Pell,  Jos.  S.,  Va.,  Surg.  in  State  Navy. 

Pell,  Salua,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 

Peres,  Peter,  Pa  ,  Surg. 

Perkins,  Abijah,  N.  Y.,  Lieut. 

Perkins,  Elisha,  Surg.  Mate  on  "  Bon 
Homme." 

Perkins,  Elisha,  Conn.,  Surg. 

Perkins,  Joseph,  R.  I.,  furnished  Sur- 
gical Insts. 

Perkins,  Richard,  Mass.,  Prov.  Cong. 

Perkins,  Seth,  N.  Y.,  Signer  of  N.  Y. 
Association. 

Perkins,  Wm.,  Mass.,  supplied  Medi- 
cines. 

Perry,  Benj.,  Pa.,  Surg. 

Perry,  Benj.  S.,  S.  C.,  Regt.  Surg. 

Perry,  John,  Md.,  Surg. 

Perry,  Joshua,  R.  I.,  Surg. 

Peters,  Alex.  A.,  N.  C.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Peyton,  Valentine,  Va.,  Surg. 

Phile,  John,  Pa.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Phillips,  Theophilus,  N.  Y.,  Signed  As- 
sociation. 

Phyle,  Frederick,  Pa.,  attended  5th  Pu. 
Battalion. 

Pierson,  Matthew,  N.  J.,  Com.  of  Ob- 
servation. 

Pierson,  Silas,  N.  Y.,  Candidate  for 
Captaincy. 

Pindall,  Richard,  Md.,  Surg. 

Pindell,  John,  Md.,  Surg. 

Pine,  John,  Md.,  Surg. 

Pitcher,  John,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Pitt,  John,  Va.,  Surg.  Navy. 

Platt,  Samuel,  Pa.,  Surg.  Male. 

Pointsette,  E.,  S.  C.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Poll,  John  Simon,  V«.,  Surg. 

Pond,  Elisha,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Pomeroy,  John,  Vt.,  Surg.  Mute. 

Pool,  Jonathan,  N.  H.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Pope,  Matthew,  Va.,  Surg. 

Porter,  Andrew,  Md.,  recommended  for 
Surgeoncy, 

Porter,  Benj.  Jones,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Porter,  Joshue,  Jr.,  Surg.  Mate  Navy. 


126 


MEDICAL   MEN 


Potter,  Gilbert,  N.  Y.,  Com.  Safety. 

Potter,  .Tared,  Conn.,  Surg. 

Potter,  Zabdiel,  Md.,  Surg. 

Pottinger,  Robert,  Md.,  Com.  Cor. 

Potts,  Jonathan,  Pa.,  Surg.   Director- 
General  of  Hosp. 

Poyas,  John   G.,   S.    C.    Hosp.  Surg. 
Mate. 

Pratt,  Shuball,  Va.,  Surg. 

Prealeau,  P.  S.,  S.  C.,  Surg. 

Prescott,  Joseph,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Prescott,  James,  S.  C.,  Surg. 

Prescott,  Oliver,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Preston,  Amariah,  Conn.,  Patriot. 

Preston,    John,    N.    H.,    Patriot    and 
Judge. 

Prior,  Abner,  N.  Y.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Prudden,  I'hos.,  Pa.,  Hosp.  Surg.  Mate. 

Putnam,  Aaron,  Muss.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Pynchon,  Chas.,  Mass.,  Prov.  Cong. 

Quinlan,  James,  Va.,  Surg. 

RadloflF,  Jno.  Fred.,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Rague,  John,  Pa.,  Surg. 

Rainey,  Stephen,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Ramsay,  David,  S.  C.,  Surg.  and  States- 
man. 

Ramsay,  Jesse  H.,  S.  C.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Ramsay,  John,  Pa.,  Surg. 

Ramsay,  J.  W.,  S.  C.,  Surg. 

Ramsay,  Jos.  H.,    S.  C.,  Hosp.  Surg. 
Mate. 

Ramsey,  John,  Va.,  Surg. 

Rand,  Isaac,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Rawson,  Dr.  *  *  *,  Mass.,  Prov. Cong. 

Ray,  Andre,  Va.,  Surg. 

Read,  Thos.  C.,  N.  J.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Read,  Wm.,  S.  C.,  Hosp.  Surg. 

Read,  Wm.,  Physician  in  Gen.  Hosp. 

Redman,  Joseph,  Jr.,  Pa.,  Surg. 

Reed,  Thomas,  N.  J.,  Hosp.  Surg. 

Reeder,  Henry,  Md.,  Com.  Corr. 

Reid,  Dr.  *  *  *,  Va.,  Capt. 

Reid,  Thos.,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 

Reiger,  Jacob,  Pa.,  Surg. 

Reinick,  Christian,  Pa.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Renderson,  Dr.  *  *  *  N.Y.,  Com.  Ob- 
servation. 

Reynolds,  John,  Va.,  Surg.  Navy. 

Rhodes,  Joseph,  R.  I.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Rice,  Dr.  *  *  *,  Mass.,  Prov.  Cong. 

Richards,  Samuel,  Surg.  Navy. 

Richards,  Wm.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Richardson,  Abijuh,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Richmond,  Ebenezer,  R.  I.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Rickinan,  Wm.,  Va.,  Surg.  aud  Direc- 
tor-General Hospital. 

Ridgely,  Frederick,  Md.,  Surg. 

Ridgely,  Frederick,  Mass.,  made  Inven- 
tory of  Medicines. 


Ricker,  John  Berrien,  N.  J.,  Surg. 

Ringgold,  Jacob,  Md.,  distributed  Pow- 
der. 

Ritchmond,  John,  Mass.,  Surg.  Brig. 
"  Reprisal." 

Rittenhouse,  Dr.  *  *  *,  Pa.,  appt.  by 
Com.  Safety  to  Supt.  Construction  of 
work. 

Roan,  Dr.  *  *  *,  N.  J.,  Surg. 

Roback,  Jacob,  Vt.,  Surg. 

Roberts,  John,  Va.,  Surg. 

Roberts,  Peter,  Muss  ,  House  of  Reps. 

Robinson,  Dr.  *  *  *,  Md.,  attended 
Capt.  Forrest's  Co. 

Robin.ion,  Robt.,  Pa.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Robinson,  Thos.,  Pa.,  solicited  Sur- 
geoncy. 

Robinson,  Wm.,  Mass  ,  Surg.  Mate. 

Roche  or  Roach,  Nicholas,  N.  J.,  Surg. 

Rodgers,  Nathaniel,  N.  H.,  Surg.  Navy. 

Roe,  Wm.,  Va.,  Surg   Navy. 

Rogers,  John  R.  B.,  Pa.,  Surg. 

Rogers,  Theophilus,  Conn.,  Com.  Corr. 

Rogue,  John,  N.  J.,  Surg.  Mate 

Root,  Josiah,  Jr  ,  Surg.  Mate  Navy. 

Root,  Josiah,  Conn.,  Apoth.  Gen.  Conn. 

Rose,  John,  Conn.,  Surg. 

Rose,  Prosper,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Rose,  Robert,  Va.,  Surg. 

Ross,  Alexander,  N.  J.,  Surg. 

Rosseter,  Timothy  Wm.,  Geo.,  Surg. 
Mate. 

Rossiter  or  Rossater,  Wm.,  Conn.,  Surg. 
Mate. 

Runmey,  Wm.,  Sr,  Va.,  Hosp.  Surg. 

Rush,  Benj.,  Pa.,  Surg.  and  Patriot. 

Rush,  Richard,  Pa.,  Ex.  Snrg. 

Russell,  Edward,  Mass.,  distributed 
Ammunition. 

Russell,  Philip,  Pa.,  Surg   Mate. 

Russell,  Philip  M.,  Va.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Russell,  Thomas,  Conn.,  Surg. 

Russell,  Thomas,  Conn.,  Surg.  of  Col. 
Swift's  Regiment. 

Russell,  Wm.,  Pa.,  Surg.  Navy. 

Sackett,  John,  N.  Y.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Sackett,  Samuel,  Conn.,  Surg. 

St.  Clair  Arthur,  Pa.,  Brig.-Gen. 

Sands,  Edward,  N.  Y.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Saple,  John  A.,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Sarringhause,  Wm  ,  Pa.,  attended  Co. 
of  German  Battalion. 

Savage,  Jos.,  Va.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Sawyer,  Eben.,  Mass.,  Council  Safety. 

Sawyer,  Micajah,  Mass.,  Prov.  Cong. 

Sawyer,  Wm.,  Mass.,.  Surg.  Mate. 

Scammel,  John,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Schenck,  Henry  H.,  N.  Y. ,  Surg. 

Scheiick,  Henry  N.,  N.  J.,  Surg. 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION. 


127 


Schuyler,  Nicholas,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 

Scott,  Daniel,  Muss.,  requested  to  re- 
port on  Medicine. 

Scott,  John,  Md.,  Com.  of  Corr. 

Scott,  Moses,  N.  J.,  Surg. 

Scudder,  John,  N.  J.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Scudder,  John  A.,  Pa.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Scudder,  Nathaniel,  N.  J.,  Surg.  Prov. 
Cong. 

Scull,  Nicholas,  Surg. 

Seigle,  Frederick.  Va.,  Surg. 

Selden,  Samuel,  Conn.,  Surg. 

Selden,  Wilson  Gary,  Va.,  Surg. 

Seldon,  Daniel,  Va.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Sensinney,  John,  Pa.,  attended  a  sick 
soldier.  • 

Senter,  Isaac,  N.  H.,  Surg.  and  Mnjor. 

Serjeant,  Erastus,  Mass.,  Surg.  and 
Major. 

Sharp,  James  S.,  Ga  ,  Surg. 

Shnrpless,  John,  Va.  Surg.  in  Navy. 

Sheldon.  Daniei,  Conn.,  Surg. 

Shephard,  David,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Shepperd,  Ltvi,  Mass.,  Commissary 
Militia. 

Sherwood,  Dr.  *  *  *,  N.  Y.  Convention. 

Shippen,  Wm.,  Jr.,  Pa.,  Director-Gene- 
ral of  Hosp. 

Shute,  Daniel,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Sibley,  John,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Sill,  Elisha,  Conn.,  Exam.  Surg. 

Silsby,  Dr.  *  *  *,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Simpson,  John,  Conn.,  Surg. 

Skinner,  Alex  ,  Va  ,  Surg. 

Skinner.  Elisha,  Me  ,  Surg. 

Skinner,  Thos.,  Conn.,  Surg. 

Slaughter,  Augustine,  Va.,  Surg. 

Small,  Wm.,  Md  ,  Com.  of  Observation. 

Smith,  Alexander,  Md.,  Surg.  Mate  and 
Chaplain. 

Smith,  Cheney,  N.  H.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Smith,  Dan.,  Vt.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Smith,  Francis,  Pa.,  furnished  Med. 

Smith,  Isaac,  N.  Y.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Smith,  Jabez,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Smith,  Nathan,  Va.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Smith,  Nathan,  Vt.,  served  in  Vt.  mi- 
litia. 

Smith,  Reuben,  Conn  ,  Exam.  Surg. 

Smith,  Robert,  S.  C.,  Hosp.  Surg.  Mate 
and  Chaplain. 

Smith,  Sam.iel,  Surg.  Navy. 

Smith,  Timothy,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Smith,  Walter,  Md  ,  Surg 

Smith,  Wm.,  Pa.,  Druggist  Cont.  Army. 

Smith,  Wm.,  Pa.,  Sr.,  Surg.-Gen.  Hosp. 
Phila. 

Smith,  Wm.  II.,  Pa.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Smith,  Wm.,  P.,  N.  Y.,  Surg.  Mate. 


Smyth,  George,  N.  Y.,  Prov.  Cong. 
Snead,  Robert,  Va.,  Surg.  Navy. 
Southmayd.  Daniel,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Spalding,  John,  Conn.,  Surg. 
Sparharn,  Dr.   *  *  *,   N.  Y.,  Surg. 
Speight,  Richard,  applied  for  Surg. 
Spencer,  Jos.,  Va.,  Surg. 
Spofford,  Isaac,  Mass.,  Surg. 
Spooner,  Paul,  N.  Y.,  Convention. 
Spooner,  Win.,  Surg.  in  Navy. 
Sprague,  John,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Sprague,  John,  Muss.,  State  Conv. 
Spring,  Dr.  *  *  *,  Mass.,  rented  his 

house  for  Hosp. 

Springer.  Sylvester.  S.  C  ,  Surg.  Mate. 
Standly,  Valentine,  Pa.,  Surg.  Pa.  Navy. 
Starr,  Justus,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Stenhouse,  Alex.,  Md.,  furnished  Med. 
Stephens,  Wm.,  Pa.,  furnished  Med. 
Stephenson,  Geo.,  Pa.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Stephenson,  Jno.  R.,  N.  Y.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Stephenson,  John,  N.  Y.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Stern,  Dr.  N.  H.,  Gen.  Assembly.' 

Stevens,    Phineas,    N.    Y.,    Inoculated 

Officers. 
Stevens,   Wm.  S.,   S.   C.,   Hosp.  Surg. 

Mate. 
Stevenson,    Geo.,    Pa.,    Hosp.    Surg. 

Mate. 

Stewart,  Alex.,  Pa.,  Surg. 
Stewart,  James,  Md.,  Surg. 
Stinson,  Wm.,  N.  H.,  attended  wounded 

Soldiers. 
Stockett,  Thos.  Noble,  Md.,  Hosp.  Surg. 

Mate. 

Stockton,  Benj.,  N.  J.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Stockton,  Benj.  B.,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 
Stockton,  Eben,  N.  H.,  Surg. 
Stoddard,  Darius,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Storrs,  Justice,  Conn.,  Surg. 
Story,  Elisha,  Mas*.,  Surg. 
Stringer,  Samuel,  N.  Y.,  Hosp.  Surg. 
Sullivan,  Dr.  *  *  *,  Mass.,  Volunteer 

with  Howe. 

Sunn,  Frederick,  S.  C.,  Regt.  Surg. 
Sutton,  Edward,  Conn.,  Surg. 
Swayer,  Wm.,  Mass.,  Snrg.  Mate. 
Sweet,  Caleb,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 
Swett,  J.  B.,  Mass.,  Surg. 
Swift,  Isaac,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Swoop,  Joseph,  Va.,  Surg.  Navy. 
Swope,  John,  Va.,  Surg.  Navy. 
Tabbs,  Barton,  Md.,  Surg.  Mate. 
Tappan,  Peter,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 
Tate,  James,  Pa.,  Surg. 
Tate,  John,  Pa.,  furnished  Supplies. 
Taylor,  Charles,  V«.,  Surg. 
Taylor,  Christian,  Pa.,  Surg.  Mate  In- 
valid Regt. 


128 


MEDICAL   MEN 


Taylor,  Christopher,  Pn.,  Snrg.  Mute. 

Taylor,  David,  N.  II.,  House  of  Reps. 

Taylor,  John,  Mass.,  Mass.  Prov.  Cong. 

Taylor,  John,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mass.  Prov. 
Cong. 

Teller,  Abraham,  N.  Y.,  named  for  Sur- 
geoncy. 

Tenny,  Samuel,  R.  I.,  Surg. 

Tetard,  Benj.,  Ga.,  Surg. 

Texier,  Felix,  France,  Surg. 

Thacher,  James,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Thaxter,  Gridley,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Thorn,  Isaac,  N.  H.,  services  to  wounded 
Bunker  Hill. 

Thomas,  John,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Thomas,  John,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Thomas,  Philip,  Md.,  Council  of  Safety. 

Thomas,  Wm.,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Thompson,  Ebenezer,  N.  H.,  Com.  of 
Safety. 

Thompson,  Joseph,  Pa.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Thompson,  Thnddeus,  Mass.,  Surg. 

thorn,  Isaac,  N.  H.,  furnished  Med. 

Tillotson,  Thomas,  N.  Y.,  Phys.  and 
Surg. -Gen. 

Tillotson,  Wm.,  Va.,  Surg. 

Tilton,  James,  Del.,  Hosp.  Surg.  and 
Surg.-Gen.,  1812. 

Todd,  Andrew,  Pa.,  Surg.  of  Ship  "  Gen. 
Greene." 

Todd,  Jonathan,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Toomer,  Anthony,  S.  C.,  Surg. 

Tootell,  Richard,  Md.,  Surgeon  Major. 

Townsand,  David,  Mass.,  Surg.  at  Bun- 
ker Hill. 

Townsend,  Platt,  Conn.,  Exam.  Surg. 

Tracey,  Elisha,  Conn.,  Exam.  Surg. 

Tracey,  Philemon,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Treat,  Malachi,  N.  Y.,  Surg.  Director 
of  Hosp. 

Treatie,  Samuel,  Vt.,  furnished  Med. 

Tresvant,  John,  Va.,  Surg. 

Trimble,  James,  Va.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Troop,  Charles,  Md.,  Com.  of  Safety. 

Troup,  John,  Md.,  Com.  of  Observation. 

Trouen,  M.,  France,  Surg.  Major,  of- 
fered his  services  to  the  Colonies. 

Truman,  Thos.,  R.  I.,  attended  wounded 
Soldiers. 

Tucker,  Thos.  T.,  S.  C.,  Hosp.  Surg. 

Tudor,   *  *  *  ,  Conn.,  Surg. 

Tufts,  Cotton,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Tunison,  Garrett,  Va.,  Surg. 

Tupper,  *  *  *  Mass.,  Com.  of  Safety. 

Turnbull,  Andrews,  S.  C.,  Surg. 

Turner,  Peter,  R.  I.,  Surg. 

Turner,  Philip,  Conn.,  Surg.  Director 
Hosp. 


Turnison,  *  *  *,  Mass.,  captured  a 
British  Corporal. 

Upham,  Benj.  Allen,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Usher,  Robert,  Conn.,  Surg. 

Vacher,  John  F.,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 

Van  Boskirk,  Abraham,  N.  J.,  Surg. 

Van  De  Linden,  Dr.  *  *  *,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 
Mate. 

Van  Der  Lynn,  Peter,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 

Van  Dych,  Dr.  *  *  *,  N.  Y.,  commis- 
sioned to  collect  £200  from  N.Y.  Conv. 

Van  Ingen.  Dirk,  Pa.,  Hosp.  Surg. 

Vnn  Leer,  Bremon,  Pa.,  Com.  of  Safety. 

Vanlier,  Benj.,  Va.,  Com.  of  Observa- 
tion. 

Van  Waggener,  Garrett,  Pa.,  Surg. 
Mate. 

Varuum,  Benj.,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Vaughn,  Claiborne,  Va.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Vickers,  Samuel,  N.  J.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Vickers,  Samuel,  S.  C.,  Surg. 

Vickers,  T.,  Surg. 

Vinal,  Wm.,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Voght,  Christian,  Pa.,  manufacturer  of 
Saltpetre. 

Walcott,  Alex.,  Conn.,  Exam.  Surg. 

Walcott,  Christopher,  Conn.,  Surg. 

Walcott,  Thomas,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Walcut,  James,  R.  I.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Waldo,  Albigeren,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Waldo,  John,  Conn.,  Surg. 

Wales,  Ephraim,  Mass.,  recompensed 
for  services. 

Walker,  Thomas,  Va.  ,Comm'r  of  Indian 
Affairs. 

Wallace,  James.  Va.,  Surg. 

Wallace,  John,  Md.,  Md.  Convention. 

Wallace,  Michael,  Md.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Ward,  Preserve,  N.  J.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Warfield,  Chas.  Alex.,  Md.,  Surg. 

Warfield,  Walter,  Md.,  Surg. 

Warren,  John,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Warren,  Joseph,  Mass.,  Surg.  and  Gen. 

Warren,  Patrick,  N.  H.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Warren,  Peletiah,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Washburn,  Azel,  N.  H.,  Surg. 

Waterman,  Phillis,  Md.,  attended  sick. 

Waterous,  Josiah,  Conn.,  Surg    Mate. 

Waters,  Wilson,  N.  Y.,  Surg   Mate. 

Watrous,  John  R.,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Watson,  Abraham,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Watson,  Samuel,  R.  I.,  Surg. 

Watts,  Edward,  Mass  ,  Surg.  for  Sea 
Coast  Men. 

Way,  Nicholas,  Pa.,  remunerated  for 
attending  sick. 

Weatherspoon,  J.,  S.  C.,  Surg. 

Weaver,  *  *  *,  Pa.,  Surg.  in  Militia. 

Weed,  *  *  *,  Phila.,  attended  soldiers. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


129 


Weeks,  *  *  *,  R.  I.,  assisted  in  de- 
struction of  "  Gaspee." 

Weeks,  John,  N.  H.,  furnished  Med. 

Welch,  Robert,  Md.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Welch,  Thomas,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Welles,  Benj.,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 

West,  *  *  *,  Pa.,  Surg. 

Wetherill,  John,  N.  J.,  Prov.  Cong. 

Wharry,  Robert,  S.  C.,  Regt.  Surg. 
Mate. 

Wharton,  Levi,  R.  I.,  Surg. 

Wheeler,  Dr.  *  *  *,  Mass.,  Prov.  Cong. 

Wheeler,  Chas.,  Va.,  Surg. 

Wheeler,  John,  N.  C.,  rendered  profes- 
sional services. 

Wheeler,  Lemuel,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Wheeler,  Lemuel,  Conn.,  Surg. 

Wheeler,  Wm.,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 

Wheelock,  John,  N.  H.,  N.  H.  Cong. 

Whipple,  Daniel  Peck,  R.  I.,  Surg. 

White,  Henry,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 

White,  John,  N.  C.,  Capt.  and  Adju- 
tant. 

White,  John,  Geo.,  Surg.  and  Col. 

White,  Wm.,  or  Wm.  S.,  Va.,  Surg.  Mate 
Navy. 

Whitewell,  Samuel,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Whiting,  Israel,  N.  Y.,  Surg.  Mate  21st 
Regt. 

Whiting,  Samuel,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Whiting,  Wm.,  Mass.,  Surg.  Prov.  Cong. 
Mass. 

Wiggins,  Thos.,  N.  J.,  Com.  Corr. 

Wigglesworth,  Samuel,  N.  H.,  Surg.     . 

Wignerou,  Stephen,  R.  I.,  Surg. 

Wild,  Jonathan,  Mass.,  Surg.  Navy. 

Wilkins,  John,  Pa.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Wilkinson,  James,  Md.,  Surg.  and  Gen. 

Wilkinson,  John,  R.  I.,  Surg. 

Wilkinson,  John,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Willard,  Elias,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 

Willard,  Levi,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Willard,  Moses,  N.  Y.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Willet,  M.,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Williams,  Bedford,  Pa.,  Surg. 

Williams,  John,  N.  Y.,  Prov.  Cong. 

Williams,  John,  N.  Y.,  Surg.  and  Mem- 
ber Prov.  Cong. 

Williams,  Robert,  N.  C.,  Surg. 

Williamson,  Hugh,  N.  C.,  Surg. 

Wilmot,  Aquila,  Pa.,  Hosp.  Surg. 

Wilson,  Goodwin,  Pa.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Wilson,  Lewis,  N.  J.,  Hosp.  Surg. 

Wilson,  Robert,  N.  C.,  Surg. 

Wilson,  Samuel,  S.  C.,  served  under 
Marion. 


Wilson,  Samuel,  Va.,  attended  6th  Va. 
Regt. 

Wimple,  W.  V.,  N.  Y.,  Hosp.  Surg.  in 
Canada. 

Winans,  Wm.,  N.  J.,  Surg. 

Wing,  Moses,  Me.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Wingate,  John,  Me.,  Surg. 

Wingate,  Dr.  Joshua,  Surg. 

Winship,  Amos,  Dr.  on  board  the  "Al- 
liance." 

Winslow,  Isaac,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Winthrop,  Dr.  *  *  *,  Mass.,  House 
Reps. 

Wisentball,  Chas.,  Md.,  Surg. 

Wistar,  Caspar,  Pa.,  asst.  wounded  sol- 
dier. 

Witherspoon,  John,  N.  J.,  Surg.  in 
Hosp. 

Witherspoon,  John,  S.  C.,  Hosp.  Surg. 

Wittredge,  John,  R.  I.,  attended  Ame- 
rican troops. 

Wolcott,  Alexander,  Conn. 

Wolcott,  Oliver,  Conn.,  Brig.-Gen. 

Wood,  Geo.,  N.  H.  furnished  Medicine 
and  rendered  services. 

Wood,  Gerard,  Md.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Wood,  James,  N.  H.,  recompensed  for 
extra  services. 

Wood,  John,  Conn.,  Surg. 

Wood,  Preserve,  Conn.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Woodruff,  Hemlock,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 

Woodruff,  Samuel,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 

Woodruffe,  Aaron,  Pa.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Woodward,  Samuel,  Mass.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Wootton,  Sprigg,  Md.,  Com.  of  Obser- 
vation. 

Worth,  Giles,  N.  C.,  services. 

Worthington,  Chas.,  Md.,  Surg. 

Wright,  Elihu,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Wright,  John  G.,  N.  Y.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Wright,  Philemon,  N.  H.,  Surg. 

Wynkoop,  *  *  *,  Pa.,  Surg.  Mate. 

Yarenpert,  Jacob  P. 

Yates,  Geo.,  Va.,  Surg.  Mate. 

York,  Roberson,  Surg.  on  privateer. 

Young,  Dr.  *  *  *,  Md.,  Bd.  of  Exam. 
Surgs. 

Young,  James,  Pa.,  Surg. 

Young,  John,  R.  I.,  Surg.  in  Army  and 
Navy. 

Young,  John,  Mass.,  Surg. 

Young,  Joseph,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 

Young,  Thomas,  Pa.,  Surg.,  furnished 
supplies. 

Younglove,  Moses,  N.  Y.,  Surg. 


INDEX. 


A. 


Abercrombie,  Gen.,  94 

Adams,  Elijah,  25,  30 

Adams,  Henry,  112 

Adams,  Jos.,  105 

Adams,  President,  19 

Adams,  Saml.,  7,  15,  18,  61,  97 

Adams,  Wm.,  113 

Ahl,  Jno.  Peter,  105 

Albany,  83 

Alexander,  Abraham,  103 

Alexander,  Adam,  103 

Alexander,  Chas.,  103 

Alexander,  Ezra,  103 

Alexander,  Hezekiah,  103 

Alexander,  J.  McKnitt,  103 

Alexander,  Nathaniel,  96,  102 

Alexandria,  Va.,  81 

Alexandria,  Va.,  Hospital  at,  75,  92 

Allen,  Col.,  26 

Allen,  David,  105 

Allentown,  Pa.,  56 

Allison,  R.,  113 

Allyn,  Jonathan,  105 

Altna  Mater,  115 

Ambulance,  20 

American  Army,  90 

American  Philosophical  Society,  90 

Ames,  Nathaniel,  96 

Ames,  Seth,  96 

Amherst.  Gen.,  96 

Andr<?,  Maj.,  82 

Annals  of  Medical  Progress,  105 

Annapolis,  Md.,  9 

Apothecary,  15,  34,  43,  57,  72 

Appleton,  Abraham,  113 

Apthorpe,  Mr.,  44 

Archer,  Jno.,  96,  101,  107 

Armed  Resistance,  8 

Army,  Continental  Surgeons  in,  70,  117 

Army,  Divisions  of,  73 

Army,  Northern  Department,  39 

Army,  Southern  Department,  87 

Arnold.  Gen.,  82 

Arnold,  Jonathan,  98 

Aspinwall,  Wm.,  11,  96 

Attucks,  Crispus,  8 


Austin,  Caleb,  105 
Averill,  Jonathan,  105 
Avery,  Waighstill,  103 


B. 

Bacheller,  Theophilus,  105 
Bacon,  Jacob,  24,  25,  30 
Bainbridge,  Absalom,  96 
Balch,  Hezakiah  J.,  103 
Ballentine,  Ebenezer,  105,  112 
Bannell,  Amos,  105 
Barnes,  Simeon,  105 
Barnett,  Wm.,  51,  113 
Barre",  Col.,  7 
Barret,  Jeremiah,  105 
Barry,  Richard,  103 
Bartlett,  Jno.,  74,  80 
Bartlett,  Josiah,  96,  97,  105,  107 
Bartlett,  Thos.,  98 
Batchelder,  Jos.,  13 
Battle,  Brandywine,  79 
Battle,  Brooklyn  Heights,  54 
Battle,  Bunker  Hill,  20 
Battle,  Germantown,  55 
Battle,  Lexington,  9,  10 
Battle,  Princeton,   102 
Battle,  Red  Bank,  79 
Bayard,  Robt.,  44 
Baylies,  Wm.,  13,  14,  96,  97 
Beardsley,  Ebenezer,  77,  112 
Beard  sley,  Gersham,  105 
Beatty,  Jno.,  96,  99,  107,  113 
Beatty,  Reading,  105,  113 
Beaver,  Vessel,  9 
Bethlehem,  51,  52,  55,  56,  58,  79 
Bicknell,  Josiah,  105 
Bigelow,  Maj.,  16,  20 
Billings,  Benj.,  105 
Binney,  Barnabas,  96,  113 
Bird,  Seth,  70 
Slack,  Dr.,  66 
31air,  Jno.,  50 
Blakeley,  Zealous,  105 
Blanchard,  Saml.,  24,  25,  30 
Bland,  Theodoric,  101,  107 
Blish,  Ezra,  105 


132 


INDEX. 


Blyth,  Jos.,  113 

Bond,  Thos.,  52,  53,  94 

Bond,  Thos.,  Jr.,  62,  113 

Boston  Massacre,  8,  84 

Boston,  Siege  of,  19,  40,  87 

Bowen,  Jos.,  105 

Bowen,  Pardon,  96 

Boyd,  Benj.,  105 

Boyes,  Dr.,  66 

Boylston,  Zabdiel,  12 

Brackett,  Joshua,  98 

Braddock,  Gen.,  83 

Bradford,  GOT.,  98 

Bradford,  Wm.,  98 

Bradley,  Col.,  48 

Breckett,  Daniel,  105 

Breed's  Hill,  25 

"  Brethren's  House"  a  hospital,  55 

Brevard,  Ephraim,  96,  102,  103 

Brewer,  Chauncy,  13 

Brewer,  James,  99 

Brickett,  James,  25,  30,  31,  107 

Briggs,  Richd.,  105 

Bristol,  54 

British  Army,  39,  45,  78,  111 

British  Troops,  9 

Brooklyn  Heights,  54 

Brooks,  Jno.,  10,  11,  25,  30,  96,  97, 

107 

Brooks,  Richd.,  101 
Brown,  Ezekiel,  105 
Brown,  Gustavus,  81,  101 
Brown,  James,  80,  81 
Brown,  Jno.,  10 
Brown,  Joseph,  113 
Brown,  Wm.,  80,  81,  89 
Brown  University,  96 
Brownson,  Nathaniel,  80,  82,  105 
Brunson,  Asa,  118 
Budd,  Bernard,  Dr.,  100 
Burgoyne,  Gen.,  25,  45 
Burk,  Thos.,  107 
Burnell,  Wm.,  113 
Burnett,  Ichabod,  82 
Burnett,  Wm.,  74,  80 
Burnett,  Wm.,  82,  96 
Burnett,  Wm.,  113 
Burrett,  Anthony,  105 
Brunswick,  Hospital  at,  60 


C. 

Caldwell,  Andrew,  113 
Cambridge,  84,  85,  90 
Cambridge,  Hospital  at,  16 
Camington,  Elias,  69 
Campbell,  Geo.,  113 
Campfield,  Jabez,  96,  107,  113 


Canada,  Army  in,  40,  Gl 

Canadian  Department,  57 

Cane,  Major,  36,  85 

Carlisle,  Pa.,  100 

Carr,  Patrick,  8 

Carter,  James,  51 

Casdrop,  Thos.,  54 

Cathcart,  Wm.,  113 

Census  of  U.  S.,  1790,  109 

Charleston,  S.  C.,  8,  41,  87,  104 

Charlestown,  Mass.,  16,  87 

Cbeever,  Abijah,  105 

Chester,  Pa.,  52 

Chief  Physician,  34,  40 

Childs,  Timothy,  24,  96,  105,  107 

Church,  Benj.,  13,  14,  16^21,  31,  32, 
34,  35,  36,  37,  80,  84,  90,  96,  97 

Church,  Dutch,  45 

Cincinnati,  the  Society  of,  111,  112 

Cincinnatus,  Lucius  Quintius,  112 

Clapp,  Major,  25 

Clark,  Hezekiah,  105 

Clark,  Jno.,  8,  70 

Clark,  Jos.,  105 

Cobb,  David,  13,  96,  97,  107 

Cochran,  Jno.,  65,  73,  80,  83,  113 

Cogswell,  Wm.,  105 

Coleman,  Asaph,  99 

Coleman,  Noah,  112 

College,  Columbia,  96 

College,  Phila.,  93 

College  of  Princeton,  Hospital  estab- 
lished at,  79 

College,  William  and  Mary,  50 

Colonial  Assembly,  R.  I.,  98 

Colonial  Convention  at  Albany,  18,  19 

Colonies,  Population  of,  108 

Columbia  College,  96 

Commissioners  of  Plantations,  18 

Committee  of  Congress,  72 

Committee  of  Safety,  Mass.,  15,  16,  21, 
31 

Concord  Battle,  9,  10,  16,  19 

Confederation,  Articles  of,  19 

Confederation  of  Colonies,  108 

Congress,  Continental,  16,  19 

Congress  of  Colonies  at  N.  Y.,  18 

Congress,  Provincial,  Mass.,  9,  12,  13, 
15,  16,  17,  20,  22,  23,  24,  33 

Connecticut,  19,  70,  98,  109 

Connecticut  Assembly,  69,  70 

Continental  Army,  9tf 

Continental  Hospital,  91 

Convalescent  Hospital,  91 

Convention,  N.  Y.,  18,  48 

Cook,  Samuel,  Rev.,  21 

Corbet,  Jno.,  13 

Correspondence,  Criminal,  37 

Cornwallis,  Gen.,  54 


INDEX. 


133 


Council  of  Safety,  Conn.,  71 
Council  of  Safety,  Mass.,  15 
Council  of  Safety,  Pa.,  53,  54 
Council  of  Safety,  S.  C.,  91 
Court  Martial,  37,  85 
Cowell,  David,  96 
Craigie,  Andrew,  15,  113 
Crnik,  James,  80,  83,  112 
Crane,  John,  112 
Crocker,  John,  24,  26,  30 
Crosby,  Ebenezer,  96,  113 
Crown  Point,  19,  45 
Cullen,  Dr.,  66,  70,  93 
Cumtaing,  Jno.,  10,  11,  12 
Curtis,  Sam'l,  105 
Cushing,  Jno.,  106 
Cutter,  Ammi  R.,  73,  80,  85,  86,  96 
Cutting,  Jno.  Brown,  106 


D. 


Darby,  52 

Dartmouth  College,  96 

Dartmouth,  Vessel,  9 

Davidson,  Jas.,  113 

Davis,  Col.,  22 

Davis,  Wm.,  54 

Day,  Elkanah,  107 

Dearborn,  Henry,  107 

Declaration  of  Independence,   18,  19, 

20,  97,  103,  104 
Declaration  of  Independence,  Signers 

of,  9'J,  98,  99 
Dedication  of  Volume,  3 
De  Florat,  Jean  Augustus,  113 
Delancy,  Oliver,  44 
Delaware,  101,  109,  112 
Den  wood,  Levi,  112 
Department,  Southern,  87 
Dexter,  Wm.,  11,  12,  26,  30,  39 
Diarrhoea,  Putrid,  79 
Dickinson  College,  Pa.,  93 
Dickinson,  Jno.,  69,  99 
Dickinson,  Moses,  99 
Dinsmore,  Wm.,  13,  14 
Director  Gen.,  34,  35,  36,  37,  42,  44, 

93,  94 

Diseases,  Contagious,  22 
Diseases,  Principal,  38 
Dorsey,  Jno.,  101 
Downer,  Eliphalet,  11,  12,  26,  30 
Downs,  Henry,  103 
Drayton,  Mr.,  72 
Drowne,  Solomon,  96,  106 
Druggist  to  the  Army,  72 
Dudley,  Mr.,  36 
Duffield,  John,  113 
Durant,  Edward,  24,  26 


Dure,  Wm.,  48 
Durham,  Lewis,  113 
Dysentery,  77 


E. 


Eager,  George,  106 

Easton,  65,  56 

East  River,  80 

East  Town,  Sick  sent  to,  52 

Edinburgh  University,  81,  87,  88,  91, 

92 

Edwards,  Joshua,  106 
Ehrenzeller,  Jacob,  106 
Elbert,  John  L.,  112 
Eleanor,  Vessel,  9 
Eliziibethtown,  60 
Elliott,  John,  113 
Elliott,  Mr.,  44 

Elmer,  Ebenezer,  100,  103,  106 
Elmer,  Moses,  113 
Ely,  John,  107 
Emerson,  Sam'l,  96 
Emperor  of  Russia,  93 
Endicott,  Sam'l,  106 
Eustis,  Wm.,  21,  26,  30,  96,  97 
Ewing,  Thos  ,  100,  107 
Executed  as  Traitors,  8 


F. 

Fague  or  Forgue,  87 

Fairbank,  Geo.,  106 

Fairbanks,  Cyrus.  106 

Fairweather's  House,  Mr.,  16 

Fanning,  John,  106 

Fayssoux,  Peter,  80,  86,  87,  113 

Federal  Convention,  109 

Finley,  James,  113 

Finley,  Jas.  B.,  118 

Finley,  Rev.  Dr.,  89,  92 

Pish,  Jos.,  113 

Fisher,  Joshua,  96 

Fishkill,  N.  Y.,  46,  48,  86 

Fisk,  Joseph,  106 

Flngg.  Henry  C.,  113 

Flagg,  Jno.,  107 

Plenniken,  Jno.,  103 

Flying  Camp,  93 

Force,  Peter,  110 

Ford,  John,  103 

?orgue,  Dr.,  74 

?orster,  Isaac,  73 

?ort  Constitution,  46 

?ort  George,  39 

?ort  Lee,  49,  54 

?ort  Montgomery,  46 


134 


INDEX. 


Fort  Necessity,  83 

Fort  Ticonderoga,  19,  45 

Fort  Washington,  49,  54,  100 

Foster,  Isaac,  Dr.,  13,  16,  21,  22,  26, 

30,  33,  88,  59,  80,  87 
Franklin,  Dr.,  19,  91 
Franklin,  State  of,  108 
Fredericksburg,  Va.,  102 
French  and  Indian  War,  94,  102 
Fridges,  Harry  Clary,  24,  27,  30 
Frigate  Romney,  8 


G. 

Gage,  Gen.,  9,  40 

Gale,  Benj.,  11,  69 

Gardner,  Jno.,  106 

Gardner,  M.,  107 

Gates,  Gen.,  62 

George  the  Third,  7 

Georges,  Jno.,  24 

Georgia,  82,  104,  109 

Germantown,  Pa.,  55,  88 

Gibson,  Col.,  79 

Giddings,  Jno.,  98 

Gilmer,  Mr.,  50 

Glover,  Col.,  15,  42 

Glover,  Sam'l  K.,  106 

Goodwin,  F:  L.  B  ,  13 

Graham,  Isaac,  106 

Graham,  Stephen,  113 

Graham,  Wm.,  103 

Gray,  Sam'l,  8 

Grayhound,  9 

Gray's  Rope  Walk,  8 

Great  Britain,  98 

Green,  19 

Green,  Ezra,  27,  30,  96,  106 

Green,  Jno.,  8 

Greene's  Brig,  36 

Greenwich,  9 

Grenville,  7 

Griffins,  Col.,  return  of  sick,  60 

Gross,  Ebenezer  H.,  106 

Gross,  Sam'l  D.,  3 

Guest,  Jas.,  106 

Gunn,  Moses,  97 

Guiteau,  Ephraim,  13 


H. 

Hadley,  Sam'l,  10 

Hale,  Mordecai,  106,  113 

Halifax,  9 

Hall,  Jas.  C.,  65 

Hall,  Jeremiah,  13,  14,  20,  21 

Hall,  John,  106 


Hall,  Lyman,  96,  104 

Hall,  Mordecai,  106 

Hall,  Percival,  106 

Hall,  Wm.,  106 

Hailing,  Dr.,  56 

Hamilton,  Jas.,  106 

Hamlen,  E.,  30 

Hancock,  Jno.,  16,  32,  60,  97 

Hand,  Edw.,  38,  107 

Harford  Co.,  Md.,  101 

Harlem  Plains,  49 

Harrington,  Jonathan,  10 

Harris,  Jacob,  113 

Harris,  James,  103 

Harris,  Rich'd,  103 

Harrison,  Elisha,  112 

Harrison,  Jas.,  79 

Hart,  Jno.,  27,  30,  106,  113 

Harvard  University,  84,  85,  96,  98 

Harvey,  Josiah,  24 

Harvie,  Mr.,  72 

Hastings,  Walter,  24,  28,  30 

Hatch,  Josiah,  106 

Hawse,  Jas.,  13 

Hayne,  Ezekiel,  112 

Hayward,  Lemuel,  96 

Heath,  Gen.,  11,  46,  48 

Heath,  Wm.,  46,  47 

Henderson,  Thos.,  96 

Henry,  Mr.,  60 

Herricks,  Martin,  28,  30 

Hessian  Troops,  45 

Hewson,  Wm.,  93 

Highlands,  Entrance  of,  48 

Hilton,  Isaac,  106 

Hitchcock,  Gad.,  106 

Hodge,  Hugh,  96 

Hoit's  Barracks,  49 

Holbrook,  Amos,  106 

Holbrook,  Silas,  106 

Holland,  90 

Holmes,  James,  113 

Holten,  Sam'l,  13,  14,  97 

Homans,  Jno.,  113 

Hope,  90 

Horsemanden,  Mr.,  44 

Hosmer,  Timothy,  112 

Hospitals,  15,  16,  21,  44,  49 

Hospital  Academy,  Fishkill,  48 

Hospital  at  Albany,  45 

Hospital  at  Alexandria,  Va.,  75 

Hospital  at  Amboy,  N.  J.,  76 

Hospital  Apothecary,  43 

Hospital  at  Bethlehem,  Pa.,  54,  76,  79 

Hospital  at  Brunswick,  60,  76 

Hospital  at  Cambridge,  32,  38 

Hospitals,  Committee  on,  20 

Hospitals,  Complaints  of,  72 

Hospital  in  Conn.,  70 


INDEX. 


135 


Hospital,  Continental,  Va.,  49,  50,  100 
Hospitals,  Convalescent,  70 
Hospital  Department,  76 
Hospital,  Director  of,  39,  40,  43,  46 
Hospital,  Dutch  Church,  45 
Hospital  at  Mr.  Fairweather's  house,  16 
Hospital,  Flying,  60,  78,  89 
Hospital,  Fort  Lee,  16 
Hospitals,  French,  77 
Hospital,  General,  35,  36,  42,  47 
Hospital,  General,  fare  of,  63 
Hospital,  General  superintended  the,  95 
Hospital,  Gov.  Oliver's  house,  16 
Hospital  removed  to  Hackensack,  76 
Hospital,  House  used  as,  16 
Hospital,  Long  Island,  76 
Hospital,  Military,  Tilton,  77 
Hospital,  Dr.  Morgan,  58,  59 
Hospital,  New  Haven,  71 
Hospital,  N.  J.,  76 
Hospital,  New  York,  44 
Hospitals  provided  at  New  York,  42,  44 
Hospital  in  Northern  Department,  94 
Hospital,  Peekskill,  46,  47 
Hospital,  Pennsylvania,  52,  53 
Hospital  near  Philadelphia,  76 
Hospital,  Poor  House,  Penna.,  76 
Hospitals,  private  houses  used  as,  44, 

51 

Hospital,  Princeton  College  used  as,  79 
Hospital,  Providence,  76 
Hospitals  erected  at  Providence,  76 
Hospital,  Reform  in,  38 
Hospital,  Regimental,  63 
Hospital  and  Regimental  Surg.,  68 
Hospital,  Regulations  of,-  64,  66 
Hospital,  Removal  of,  41 
Hospital,  Roxbury,  15 
Hospital,  Sanford,  Conn.,  71 
Hospital,  Smallpox,  22 
Hospital,  Southern,  in  Va.,  38,  92 
Hospital  Staff,  57 
Hospital  Stores,  47 
Hospital  Surg.,  32,  42,  46 
Hospital  Tents,  55,  60,  76,  80 
Hospital  in  Virginia,  91,  92 
Hospitals  in  Watertown,  24,  33 
Hospital  in  Williamsburg,  Va.,  76 
House  of  Burgesses,  Va.,  7 
Howard,  Ephraim,  101 
Howell,  Lewis,  113 
Hubard,  Jas.,  51 
Hubbard,  Leveret,  69 
Hudson  River,  58,  61 
Humane  Society,  86 
Hunt,  Ebenezer,  96 
Hunt,  Jno.,  21 
Hunt,  Jos.,  24 
Hunter,  Geo.,  113 


Hunter,  Wm.,  70 
Hunters,  93 

Kurd,  Isaac,  Dr.,  28,  30,  106 
Hutchison,  Jas.,  101 
Hyde,  Phineas,  106 


I. 


Inoculation,  92 

Irvine,  Wm.,  Pa.  Brig.  Gen.,  107 

Irwin,  Robt.,  103 

Irwine,  Wm.,  100 

Italy,  90 

J. 

Jackson,  Clement,  86 

Jackson,  Dr.,  55 

Jackson,  Joshua  Hall,  98 

Jamestown,  Va.,  107 

Jamieson,  Wm.,  13 

Jantis,  Chas.,  96 

Jefferson,  81 

Jefferson  Medical  College,  5,  115 

Jenifer,  Daniel,  112 

Jersey  Prisonship,  111 

Jersey,  Sick  from,  55 

Jewett,  Gibbons,  106 

Jones,  David,  13,  14,  24,  28,  30,  97 

Jones,  David,  Me.,  106 

Jones,  James,  Del.,  106 

Jones,  John,  20,  78 

Jones,  Noble  Wimberly,  106 

Jones,  Walter,  73,  80,  87,  102 

Johnson,  Mr.,  50 

Johnson,  Robt.,  113 


K. 

Keats,  James,  81 
Keene,  Sam'l  F.,  112 
Kendall,  Mr.,  22 
Kennon,  Wm.,  103 
Killed  at  Battle  of  Lexington,  10 
Kilty,  Wm.,  Md.,  101,  112 
King's  Bridge,  N.  Y.,  71 
Kittridge,  Francis,  22 
Kittridge,  Thos.,  24,  29,  30,  96 
Knight,  Jonathan,  Con.,  106 
Knood,  Sam'l  Y.,  Md.,  112 
Kuhu,  Adam,  80,  88 


Lake  George,  58,  91 
Lancaster,  54 


136 


INDEX. 


Laughton,  Wm.,  113 

Leadlie,  Andrew,  113 

Leavenworth,  Nath.,  113 

Ledynrd,  Isaac,  113 

Lee,  Arthur,  102 

Lee,  Chas.,  24,  44,  87 

Lee,  Fort,  54.  60 

Lee's,  Gen'l,  Division,  54 

Lee,  Kich'd  H.,  56 

Lee,  Sam'l,  70 

Lewis,  Brig.  Gen'l,  50 

Lewis,  Joseph,  Vt.,  106 

Lewisburg,  98 

Lexington,  Battle  of,  9,  10,  16,  19 

Liberty  Boys,  9 

Liberty  Co.,  Ga.,  105 

Linnaeus,  the  celebrated,  88 

Lives  lost  in  the  War,  111 

Lockman.  John,  S.  C.,  114 

London,  9,  92 

Londonderry,  N.  H.,  98 

Long  Island,  Battle  of,  43 

Long,  John,  52 

Lord,  Elisha,  70 

Loring,  Ephraim,  113 

Loring,  Joshua,  22 

Louisburg,  Troops  against,  86 


M. 

Maclean,  Wm.,  106 
Madison,  8 

Magaw,  Wm.,  106,  113 
Maine,  19,  107 
Manheim,  54 
Manis,  .las.,  112 
Mann,  Jas.,  106 
Mann,  Oliver,  106 
Marcus  Hook,  52 
Marine  Hospital,  30 
Marshall,  Christopher,  53,  54 
Marshall,  T.,  112 
Martin,  Ennalls,  106 
Martin,  Hugh,  113 
Martin,  Jolin  R.,  106 
Maryland,  19,  81,  101,  109 
Maryland    Committee    of  Correspond- 
ence, 101 

Maryland  Council  of  Safety,  63 
Massachusetts,  7,  16,  19,  97 
Mass.  Council  of  Safety,  22,  23 
Mass.  Prov.  Congress,  12,  13,  14 
Mather,  Sam'l,  106 
Mather,  Timothy,  112 
Maus,  Matthew,  113 
Maverick,  Sam'l,  8 
Me  Adams,  Wm.,  44 
McCalla,  Thos.  H.,  114 


McCalla,  Thos.  M.,  113 

McClosky,  Sam'l  A.,  113 

McClure,  Matthew,  103 

McClurg,  Jas.,  102 

McCoskey,  Wm.,  106 

McDonough,  Thos.,  107 

McDougalPs  Brigade,  48 

McDowell,  John,  113 

McHenry,  Jas.,  107 

McKinly,  John,  101 

McKnight,  Chas.,  48,  80,  89,  96,  113 

Mead,  Amos,  70 

Meade,  Wm.,  106 

Mecklenburg,  102 

Mecklenburg  Decl.  of  Indep.,  103 

Medical  Appointment,  Army,  38 

Medical  Department,  34 

Medical  Men  of  Revolution,  115,  117 

Medical  Men,  Pension  List  of,  105 

Medical  Organization  of  Army,  6 

Medical  Society,  90 

Medical  Stores,  Deficiencies  of,  62 

Medicine  Chest,  15,  16 

Menema,  Daniel,  99,  113 

Mercer,  Hugh,  59,  82,  102,  107 

Mercersburgh,  Pa.,  102 

Middle  Department,  83,  88,  102 

Middletown,  9tf 

Mifflin,  Gen.,  52 

Milchor,  Isaac,  54 

Military  Committee,  56 

Military  Department,  51 

Military  Disbursements,  73 

Military  Supplies,  15 

Militia,  Irregular,  110 

Miller,  Ewd.,  101 

Minot,  Timothy,  10,  11,  12 

Mohawks,  Disguised,  9 

Monk,  Christopher,  8 

Monro,  Elder,  93 

Monros,  70 

Morgagni,  90 

Morgan,  Benj.,  113 

Morgan,  Jno.,  25,  32,  37,  38,  39,  41, 

42,  44,  46,  47,  48,  55,  58,  59,  61,  62, 

65,  72,  73,  80,  89,  93,  101 
Morrison,  Neil,  103 
Morristown,  54,  80 
Morrow,  David,  113 
Morrow,  Samuel,  112' 
Morse,  Moses,  13 
Mortality  in  Army,  80 
Mount  Vernon,  83 
Mullican,  Isaac,  106 
Munro,  Rob't,  10 
Munson,  Aneas,  69,  96,  106,  112 
Murray,  Robt.,  44 
Muzzy,  Isaac,  10 


INDEX. 


137 


N. 


Nassau  Hall,  82 

Nassau  Island,  44 

Nazareth,  52 

Neufville,  Wm.,  114 

Newark,  54,  82 

New  Brunswick,  54,  83 

New  Castle,  52 

New  England  States,  19,  107 

New  Hampshire,  19,  86,  97 

New  Hampshire  Medical  Society,  98 

New  Haven,  71 

New  Jersey,  9,  45,  51,  58,  88,  99,  109, 

111 

New  Jersey,  College  of,  93 
Newport,  R.  I.,  84,  85 
New  York,  8,  19,  59,  83,  89,  99 
Nicholas,  Moses,  107 
Norfolk,  Va.,  41,  83 
Northampton,  55 
North  Bridge,  Battle  at,  10 
North  Carolina,  8,  92,  102,  104,  109 
Northern  Department,  38,  40,  87 
North   River  crossed  by  Washington, 

54,  58 

Northumberland  Co.,  Va.,  88 
Norton,  Jno.  Hatley,  51 
Nottingham,  Md.,  89,  92 
Nova  Scotia,  9 
Noyes,  John,  112 
Nurses,  34 
Nurses  and  Ass'ts  supplied,  53 


0. 

Oath  of  Examiners,  70 
Officers  to  visit  the  Sick,  58 
Oliphant,  David,  80,  91,  104,  114 
Oliver,  Gov.,  16 
Otis,  Jas.,  7 
Otto,  Bodo,  113 


P. 

Paris,  90,  92 
Parker,  Daniel,  24 
Parker,  David,  8 
Parker,  Jonas,  10 
Parks,  Mr.,  15 
Patterson,  Rob't,  8 
Patton,  Benj.,  103 
Payne,  Edward,  8 
Peabody,  Nathan,  107 
Peekskill,  46,  47 
"  Peggy  Stewart,"  Brig,  9 
Pelham,  \Vm.,  106 


Pennsylvania,  19',  109 

Pennsylvania,  Troops  of,  90 

Peres,  Peter,  113 

Perkins,  Abijah,  107 

Perkins,  Rich'd,  13 

Perry,  Benj.  L.,  114 

Perth  Amboy,  N.  J.,  60 

Phifer,  Jno.,  103 

Philadelphia,  8,  52 

Philadelphia,  College  of,  88,  89,  90,  92, 

96 

Physicians  as  Legislators,  107 
Physicians  at  Battle  of  Lexington,  10 
Physicians  in  different  States,  97-105 
Physicians  in  Edinburgh,  90 
Physicians  in  London,  90 
Physicians,  their  influence,  96 
Pindell,  R.,  106,  112 
Pitcairn,  Major,  10 
Pittsburg,  83,  102 
Polk,  Thos.,  Col.,  103 
Pomeroy,  17 
Poor,  19 

Poor  House  of  Phila.,  53,  76 
Porter,  Aziel,  10 
Porter,  Benj.  J.,  106 
Porter,  Benj.  Jones,  113 
Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  86 
Port  Tobacco,  Md.,  81-83 
Potts,  Jonathan,  57,   72,  74,  80,   91, 

101 

Prescott,  Joseph,  106 
Prescott,  Oliver,  17,  18,  107 
Prescott,  Sam'l,  9,  11,  12 
Princeton,  Battle  of,  54,  102 
Princeton  College,  96 
Princeton,  Graduate  of,  92 
Pringle,  John,  93 
Prior,  Abner,  113 
Prison  Ships,  111 
Provincial  Congress  of  N.  Y.,  94 
Provincial  Hospital,  62 
Putnam,  Aaron,  24,  29 
Putnam,  Israel,  17,  19,  25 
Pynchon,  Chas.,  13 


Q. 

Queary,  John,  103 
Queens  College,  44 


R. 

Rainey,  Stephen,  106 
Ramsay,  David,  87,  96,  100,  104 
Ramsay,  Jos.  H.,  114 
Rand,  Isaac,  22,  32 


138 


INDEX. 


Randolph,  Mr.,  50 

Read,  Wm.,  106,  114 

Reading,  Pa.,  52,  54 

Red  Bank,  Battle  of,  79 

Redman,  John,  89,  92 

Reed,  Thos.,  113 

Reese,  David,  103 

Regulators,  8 

Reichel,  W.  C.,  55 

Reid,  Captain,  107 

Rhode  Island,  19,  98,  109,  112 

Richardson,  Abijah,  106,  113 

Rickman,  Wm.,  9,  49,  50,  51,  107 

Riker,  John  B.,  113 

Roberts,  Jno.,  106 

Rodgers,  John  R.  B.,  86,  96,  106 

Rome,  George,  36 

Rotnney,  Frigate,  8 

Root,  Josiah,  106 

Rose,  John,  112 

Rose,  Prosper,  106 

Ross,  Alexander,  113 

Rosseter,  Timothy  W.,  106 

Roxbury,  15,  16 

Royal  Society,  90 

Rush,  Benj.,  73,  80,  82,  91,92,  93,  96, 

100 

Russell,  Philip  M.,  106 
Rutgers  College,  96 
Rutherford,  90 


S. 


Sackett,  John,  106 

Sawyer,  Ebenezer,  13 

Sawyer,  Micajah,  98 

Sawyer,  W.,  106 

Schuyler,  Gen.,  39,  72,  83 

Schuyler,  Nicholas,  106 

Scott,  Jno.,  89 

Scudder,  John  A.,  106 

Scudder,  Nathaniel,  96 

Selden,  Wm.  C.,  106 

Senter,  Isaac,  98 

Sergeant,  Erastus,  96,  107 

Shephard,  David,  29,  30 

Shippen,  Wm.,  54,  55,  58,  60,  73,  80, 

81,  92,93,  100 

Shippen,  Wm.,  Jr.,  57,  58,  60,  93,  96 
Shirley,  Gov.,  19,  94 
Shute,  Daniel,  113 
Sibley,  John,  106 
Sill,  Elisha,  70 
Simpson,  Jno.,  11,  21 
Skinner,  Dr.,  50 
Skinner,  Elisha,  106 
Skinner,  Thos.,  112 
Sloop,  Liberty,  8 


Smallpox  Hospital,  22,  92 

Smallwood,  W.,  63,  65,  66 

Smith,  Daniel,  106 

Smith,  Isaac,  96 

Smith,  Nathan,  107 

Smith,  Reuben,  70 

Smith,  Robt.,  114 

Smith,  Thos.,  54 

Smith,  Wm.,  72 

Snider,  Christopher,  8 

Sons  of  Liberty,  7,  9 

South  Carolina,  91,  104,  109 

South  Carolina  General  Assembly,  91 

South  Carolina  Provincial  Congress,  91 

Southern  Department,  104 

Spencer,  Brig.-Gen.,  36 

Spofford,  Isaac,  24,  29,  30 

Spring,  Dr.,  20 

Staats,  82 

Stamford,  Hospital  at,  71 

Stamp  Act,  7 

Starke,  Mr.,  50 

Starr,  Justus,  112 

State  Medical  Society,  N.  H.,  98 

St.  Clair,  Arthur,  25,  107,  113 

Stevens,  Wm.  S.,  114 

Stevenson,  Geo.,  113 

Stevenson,  Henry,  101 

Stirling,  Lord,  51 

Stockton,  Ebenezer,  96,  113 

Stockton,  Kich'd,  93 

Stringer,  Sam'l,  39,  40,  72,  80,  94 

Stuyvesant,  Nicholas,  44 

Stuyvesant,  Peter,  44 

Sullivan,  Gen'l,  54 

Sunn,  Fred,  S.  C.,  114 

Surgeons,  Antagonism  between,  63 

Surgeons'  Chest,  53 

Surgeon-in-Chief,  33 

Surgeon  in  Continental  Army,  117 

Surgeons,  Education  of,  95 

Surgeons,  English,  45 

Surgeons,  Gen'l,  73,  74,  92 

Surgeons,  German,  45 

Surgeons,  neglect  of  Inoculation,  92 

Surgeons  who  received  Land,  74,  75 

Surgeons'  Mates,  34,  39 

Surgeons'  Pay  increased,  50,  74 

Surgeons,  Regimental,  35,  36,  39, 48,  60 

Surgical  Proficiency,  95 

Sweet,  Caleb,  113 

Symetry,  British  Brig,  65 


T. 

Taxation,  8 

Taylor,  Christopher,  106 

Taylor,  Jno.,  13,  14,  15,  21,  22,  97 


INDEX. 


139 


Tea  Destroyed  in  Annapolis,  9 
Tea,  Destruction  of,  in  Boston,  8,  9 
Tea  Destroyed  in  Halifax,  9 
Tea  Destroyed  in  New  Jersey,  9 
Tea  Destroyed  at  New  York,  8 
Tea  Destroyed  at  Yorktown,  Va.,  9 
Tea  not  allowed  to  be  landed,  8 
Tenuey,  Sam'l,  29,  30 
Tents  as  Hospitals,  55 
Thacher,  Jas.,  14,  17,  45,  77,  96,  101 

106,  111 

Thaxter,  Gridley,  106 
Thomas,  John,  106,  107 
Thompson,  Ebenezer,  98 
Thomson,  Dr.,  83 
Thornton,  Matthew,  98 
Ticonderoga,  Fort,  19,  45,  95 
Tillotson,  Thos.,  113 
Tilton,  Jas.,  73,  10],  106 
Tisdale,  Elkanah,  71 
Total  Strength  of  the  Army,  40 
Townsend,  David,  20,  106,  113 
Townsend,  Platt,  70 
Tracy,  Elisba,  69,  95 
Tracy,  Philemon,  106 
Travis,  Mr,  50 
Treat,  Malacbi,  74,  80,  94 
Trenton,  52,  54,  60 
Trezvant,  Jno.,  106 
Troops  furnished  by  States,  110 
Try  on,  Wm.,  8 
Tucker,  Thos.  T.,  114 
Tumult,  8 

Tunison,  Garrett,  106 
Turner,  Peter,  106 
Turner,  Philip,  74,  80,  94,  95 


U. 

Union  for  Defence,  18 
United  Colonies,  18,  19 
United  States,  19,  95,  100 
University  of  Pennsylvania, 


V. 

Vacher,  John  Francis,  113 

Valley  Forge,  65 

Van  Wagner,  Garret,  113 

Vermont,  107 

Vinal,  Wm.,  24,  30,  96 

Virginia,  92,  101 

Virginia  Assembly,  102 

Virginia  Convention,  50 

Virginia,  Lands  granted,  74 

Virginia  Troops,  81 

Voltaire,  90 


W. 

Wagons  conveying  Sick,  55 

Walcott,  Thos.,  106 

Wallace,  Capt,  36,  98 

Wallingford,  99 

Wanwood,  36 

War,  Board  of,  52 

Ward,  Gen.,  18,  19,  21,  24,  36 

Warfield,  C.  A.,  101 

Warfield,  Walter,  112 

Warren,  John,  30,  32,  33,  76,  100 

Warren,  Jos.,  9,  11,  12,  13,  16,  20,  31, 

35,  97,  107 
Washington  City,  82 
Washington,  Gen'l,   17,  23,  24,  33,  38, 

40,  41,  42,  43,  44,  46,  54,  58,  59,  62, 

63,  64,  65,  66,  71,  73,  81,  83,  84,  85, 

90,  102 

Washington,  Robt ,  54 
Waterous,  Josiah.  106 
Waters,  Wilson,  106 
Watrous,  John,  69 
Watrous,  J.  R.,  106,  112 
Watson,  Abraham,  24,  30,  31 
Watson,  Mr.,  44 
Watts,  Mr.,  44 
Webbs,  Chas.,  Col.,  25 
Weekly  Returns  of  Sick,  48 
Welch,  Thos.,  11,  12,  30,  31,  96,  106 
Wells,  Henry,  96 
Wharry,  Robt.,  114 
White,  Ebenezer,  99 
White,  Henry,  106 
White,  Jno.,  107 
White  Plains,  49 
Whitewell,  Sam'l,  96,  113 
Whiting,  Dr.,  21,  22 
Whiting,  Wm.,  13,  14,  15,  97 
Whyth,  90 
Widow,  Leake's,  44 
Wild,  Jonathan,  48,  106 
Wilkins,  John,  101 
Wilkinson,  Jas.,  107 
Wilkinson,  John,  106 
Willard,  Elias,  30 
Willard,  Levi,  24,  30,  31 
Willard,  Moses,  106 
William  and  Mary's  College,  Va.,  87, 

96 

Williams,  Obediah,  30,  31 
Williams,  Robt.,  104,  106 
Williamsburgh,  Va.,  50,  51,  76,  91, 

102 

Williamson,  Hugh,  104 
Wilmington,  Del.,  52 
Wilmot,  Aquiln,  Dr  ,  55 
Wilson,  Louis  F.,  96 
Wilson,  Zachaus,  103 


140 


INDEX. 


Winchester,  Va.,  83 
Wing,  Moses,  106 
Wingate,  Jno.,  106 
Witherspoon,  John,  114 
Witherspoon,  Mr.,  72 
Wolcott,  Alex.,  69 
Wolcott,  Oliver,  96,  99,  107 
Wood,  Gerard,  112 
Woodfords,  Col.,  81 
Woodruff,  Hunlock,  48 
Woodward,  Mass.,  113 


Wright,  Philemon,  106 
Writs  of  Assistance,  7 


Y. 

Yale  College,  82,  96 
Yarmouth,  85 
York  Island,  95 
Yorktown,  Va.,  9 
Young,  John,  106 
Younglove,  Moses,  99 


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